Lost Cat in The Rain in Samovar in the Ambiguous of Odradek -Exploring Einfühlung/Empathy at the Focus of Mimesis
The concept of mimesis (imitation) developed by Aristotle, producing the foundations of Plato, forms the essence of today’s recognition of art and literature. According to Aristotle, as long as the subject can relate to the object, pure production continues; otherwise there is no production with the world of Ideas. The phase of entering into the imitated object integrating with it and feeling it comes into action. Aristotle describes this phase as “that everything is perceived through opposites”. At the beginning of the 1900s, German philosophers emphasized the importance of humannature relations and developed the concept of einfühlung/empathy based on Aristotle’s principle. With the evolution of this theory, objects are reconsidered not only as simple objects but also as objects in which subjects identify with them, give feeling and interact with them. Translated into English as empathy, this concept is also called “feeling into” because it does not fully correspond. Einfühlung is not only a concept but also a theory. Although the thoughts on this theory are extensive, it is seen that a general comprehensive framework has not yet been established and comparative examinations have not been done. This study covers the examination and comparison of story examples from German, American and Turkish literature in the context of the relationship between the object created as an imitation element and the subject, rather than providing extensive information about the emergence, development and problems of the Einfühlung concept. In this context, the stories of Franz Kafka’s Die Sorge des Hausvaters (1919), Odradek an ambiguous entity with Ernest Hemingway’s Cat in the Rain (1925) and Samovar (1935) by Sait Faik Abasıyanık stories will be analyzed according to the einfühlung/empathy theory.
Odradek’in Belirsizliğinde Yağmur’daki Kedi’yi Semaver’de Kaybetmek -Mimesis’in Odağında Einfühlung’u Keşfetmek-
Platon’un temellerini atıp Aristo’nun geliştirdiği mimesis (taklit) kavramı bugünün sanat ve edebiyat anlayışının özünü oluşturur. Aristo’ya göre subje, obje ile ilişki kurabildiği sürece salt üretim devam eder aksi taktirde idealar dünyası ile bir üretim söz konusu değildir. Taklit edilen objenin içerisine girmek onunla bütünleşmek onu hissetmek evresi devreye girer. Aristo bu evreyi “her şeyin karşıtlıkları aracılığıyla algılandığı” şeklinde tanımlar. 1900’lü yılların başında doğa ile insan ilişkisinin önemine daha çok değinen Alman filozoflar, Aristo’nun prensibinden hareketle einfühlung/ özdeşleyim kavramını geliştirirler. Bu teorinin ortaya çıkmasıyla birlikte objelerin sadece basit birer varlık olarak değil aynı zamanda subjelerin onlarla özdeşleştiği onlara his kazandırdığı ve etkileşim sağladığı varlıklar olarak yeniden değerlendirilir. İngilizceye “empathy” olarak çevrilen bu kavram tam olarak karşılığını sağlamadığı için “feeling into” olarak da adlandırılır. Einfühlung sadece bir kavram değil aynı zamanda bir teoridir. Bu teori üzerine yazılan çalışmalar çok fazla olmasına rağmen genel kapsamlı bir çerçevenin henüz oluşturulamadığı ve karşılaştırmalı çalışmaların yapılmadığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışma Einfühlung kavramının ortaya çıkışı, gelişimi ve problemleri hakkında geniş bilgiler vermekten ziyade, taklit unsuru olarak yaratılan objenin subje ile ilişkisi bağlamında Alman, Amerikan ve Türk edebiyatlarından öykü örneklerinin incelenmesini ve karşılaştırılmasını kapsar. Bu bağlamda öncelikle Franz Kafka Die Sorge des Hausvaters (1919) öyküsündeki belirsiz bir varlık olan Odradek ile Ernest Hemingway’ın Cat in the Rain (Yağmur’daki Kedi) (1925) ve Sait Faik Abasıyanık’ın Semaver (1935) öyküleri einfühlung/özdeşleyim teorisi çerçevesinde incelenmeye çalışılacaktır.
Plato’s determination based on the cave forms the basis of today’s concept of art. According to him, everything in the world we live in is mimesis. According to him, everything in the world in which lives is imitation. The imitation cannot express what is real, so it is unnecessary and should not be used. The wood that exists in nature becomes a cedar with the skill of the carpenter, and the painter paints it because he sees it. Unlike Plato, his student Aristotle states that the world can be gripped with the concept of imitation. According to him, things are not only imitations by the artist, but they are also the ones that close the deficiency of nature and provide pleasure in the individual.
The concept of mimesis (imitation) developed by Aristotle, producing the foundations of Plato, forms the essence of today’s recognition of art and literature. According to Aristotle, as long as the subject can relate to the object, pure production continues; otherwise, there is no production with the world of Ideas. The phase of entering into the imitated object, integrating with it, and feeling it comes into action. Aristotle describes this phase as “that everything is perceived through opposites”. At the beginning of the 1900s, German philosophers emphasized the importance of human-nature relations and developed the concept of Einfühlung/Empathy based on Aristotle’s principle.
The relationship of the subject with the objects begins to be evaluated more clearly in the framework of the Einfühlung/Empathy theory in the early 19th century. With the emergence of this theory, objectives are re-evaluated not only as single entities, but as entities that the subjects identify with, bring feelings and interact with. Although the thoughts on Einfühlung/Empathy theory are many, it is seen that a general comprehensive framework has not been established yet.
When the sense of pleasure in literary texts is considered, three different imitations are encountered. Firstly, the empathy form, in which the subject relates to the object, begins in the process of creating the artwork. The author selects and reproduces beings from the world of phenomena. Secondly is the connection of the text produced with the reader where the feeling of pleasure comes to the forefront. Thirdly, the process of empathy the characters in the text with the beings, where the analysis provides a complete understanding of the second stage.
Franz Kafka’s story Die Sorge des Hausvaters (printed in 1919) written between 1914 and 1917 has a critical peculiarity that can be distinguished from others. He calls “Odradek” this entity produced in the text as both a subject and an object. This entity, which stands out as an object in the way that the Family Father perceives, becomes a subject later in the story.
Ernest Hemingway’s Cat in the Rain story was published in 1925 and is one of the most controversial texts on it. Hemingway’s Cat in the Rain is one of the most appropriate texts for Einfühlung/Empathy in terms of short story examples. When the text is divided into construction segments, it is seen that imitation is actually between two subjects and two objects.
Sait Faik Abasıyanık’s Samovar story written in 1935 is a text-based on Ali’s mother who works as a worker in the factory and his relationship with the samovar. Unlike Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain” story, the object appears to have a direct effect on the subject. When the text is read carefully, it is noteworthy that the samovar is positioned in the text to provide katharsis (purification), as well as to perceive Einfühlung/Empathy as an object.
Consequently, the concept of Einfühlung/Empathy will be explored in a junction as an essential method for understanding the world of phenomena that modern human beings are continually producing to escape, not even in the context of art and literature, but also imprisoned him.
