Goriller İçinde: One of the Earliest Examples of the Fantasy Genre in Turkish Literature
Halit Eyüp wrote four novels: Sevda-yı Nihan, Goriller İçinde, Nermin and Şadi. He was one of the writers of the Mutavassitin Group, advocating a more restrained approach to both the West and the East. Eyüp expressed his ideas across various genres, but Goriller İçinde stands out as particularly significant within his novelistic work. This novel draws upon Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s text “Bir Acibe-i Saydiye”, echoing Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s reflections on the theory of evolution. Set against the backdrop of the period’s Darwinism debates, the novel adopts a cynical perspective on the discussions surrounding human origins, employing conventions of fantastic literature. This study examines Goriller İçinde through the lens of Tzvetan Todorov’s theory of the fantastic. The analysis reveals that the novel aligns with Todorov’s criteria for the genre, particularly in its treatment of supernatural events, which are narrated by the protagonist Ahmet Nebil and diverge sharply from conventions of fairy tales, marking a defining feature of the fantastic novel. Correspondingly, the construction of reality in Goriller İçinde is deliberately maintained at a level that provides hesitation and ambivalence, which are emphasized by Todorov. The fact that Ahmet Nebil, an ordinary individual, serves as the narrator heightens the emotions of fear, horror, and curiosity within the story, which is another quality that Todorov identifies as central to the fantastic. Preserving this sense of curiosity and suspense is another key criterion of the fantastic, and in Goriller İçinde, this is achieved through Ahmet Nebil’s recurrent encounters with dangers as the story unfolds. The primary aim of this study is to demonstrate how these features are strategically constructed to critique, and even satirize, the Darwinist views prevalent during the period
Türk Edebiyatında Fantastik Roman Türünün İlk Örneklerinden Biri Olarak Goriller İçinde
Halit Eyüp’ün Sevda-yı Nihan, Goriller İçinde, Nermin ve Şadi olmak üzere dört romanı bulunmaktadır. Batı’ya da Doğu’ya da daha itidalli yaklaşmak gerektiğini savunan mutavassıtin grubu yazarları arasında gösterilen Halit Eyüp, fikirlerini çeşitli türlerde ifade etmiştir. Roman türünde verdiği eserler arasında Goriller İçinde özel bir dikkati hak eder. Ahmet Mithat Efendi’nin “Bir Acibe-i Saydiye” metninden parçaların alıntılandığı bu romanda, Ahmet Mithat Efendi’nin evrim teorisine dair görüşleri yinelenir. Dönemin Darvinizm tartışmaları bağlamında insanın kökenine dair yürütülen tartışmalara, fantastik edebiyatın kurgu ilkeleri aracılığıyla alaycı bir yaklaşım getirilir. Bu çalışmada Goriller İçinde romanına Tzvetan Todorov’un Fantastik kitabındaki ölçütlerle bakmaya çalışılmış ve söz konusu ölçütlerin Goriller İçinde romanıyla da uyumlu olduğu görülmüştür. Romanın kahramanı Ahmet Nebil’in anlattığı hikâyedeki olağanüstü durumların masaldan tamamen farklı oluşu, fantastik romanın temel özelliklerindendir. Buna göre Goriller İçinde romanında, başta gerçekliğin inşa edilme biçimi, Todorov’un vurguladığı gibi, okurda kararsızlık yaratacak düzeyde tutulmuştur. Sıradan bir insan olan Ahmet Nebil’in bizzat anlatıcı olması, anlatılan hikâyede yaşanan korku-dehşet-merak duygularını pekiştirir, ki bu durum Todorov’a göre fantastik romanın özelliklerindendir. Merak ve heyecan duygusunun sürekli canlı tutulması fantastik romanın temel ölçütlerindendir ve Goriller İçinde romanında da Ahmet Nebil’in her aşamada yeni bir tehlikeyle karşı karşıya kalışıyla bu özellik karşılanır. Tüm bu özelliklerin de dönemin Darvinist görüşlerine itiraz ve hatta bu görüşlerle alay etmek üzere kurgulandığını serimlemek, bu araştırmanın ana ereğidir.
Yenişehirlizade Halit Eyüp, who remarkably produced twelve works during his brief twenty-four years of life, began his writing career at the age of seventeen with the Hizmet newspaper, which was published by Halit Ziya. Throughout his literary journey, Halit Eyüp authored four novels: Sevda-yı Nihan, Goriller İçinde, Nermin, and Şadi. Although he held Halit Ziya in high regard, he did not emulate his writing style; instead, he drew inspiration from Ahmet Mithat Efendi, whom he greatly admired.
Halit Eyüp, a prominent figure within the Mutavassıtin Group, advocated for a more moderate engagement with both Western and Eastern influences, expressing his ideas across various literary genres. Among his novels, Goriller İçinde warrants particular attention due to its thematic content, narrative approach, and its intertextual connection with Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s work, “Bir Acibe-i Saydiye,” in which Mithat Efendi cites Paul du Chaillu’s writings as a scientific source. In his text, Ahmet Mithat Efendi fictionalizes a true story recounted by du Chaillu. Following this, Halit Eyüp composes Goriller İçinde, where he similarly explores the narrative of a young man named Ahmet Nebil, who assimilates with gorillas and, over time, becomes more gorilla-like than human. This narrative not only reflects Eyüp’s engagement with thematic elements introduced by Ahmet Mithat Efendi but also showcases his unique storytelling style within the context of late Ottoman literature.
On a day when Ahmet Nebil and his friends decide to engage in a storytelling game, one of the young men begins to recount a tale titled “Gülle ile Seyahat,” which initially resembles a fairy tale but is soon interrupted. This interruption occurs because the group has lost interest in narratives that evoke a fairy-tale quality. Ahmet Nebil, who has a penchant for recounting all his life experiences, then takes the floor and begins to narrate an account of his visit to a zoo in Paris. During this visit, while standing in front of the gorilla enclosure, he is unexpectedly seized by a giraffe, which throws him into the gorilla cage. Although Ahmet Nebil is initially filled with terror as he sees the approaching gorillas, he is not harmed; instead, the gorillas escort him to a hut located deep within the enclosure and present him to two gorillas waiting at the entrance. These gorillas then take Ahmet Nebil inside the hut, where he is introduced to the chiefs of the gorilla community. This surreal encounter serves as a pivotal moment in the narrative, highlighting themes of fear, survival, and the intersection of human and animal worlds. Upon seeing Ahmet Nebil, the chief gorilla promptly removes his own clothing and creates a space for Ahmet Nebil to sit. In this moment, Ahmet Nebil realizes that the gorilla does not intend to harm him; however, he becomes increasingly preoccupied with thoughts of how he will escape the enclosure and what he will eat and drink during his captivity. Eventually, the gorilla compels him to consume the food provided in the hut. As time passes, a rudimentary form of communication develops between Ahmet Nebil and the gorilla, allowing them to interact more effectively. Ahmet Nebil remains in the hut for a period of eighteen months. Over this time, his hair and beard grow long, his skin toughens from prolonged contact with the rough surfaces of the hut, and he begins to physically resemble the gorillas around him. This transformation culminates when the chief gorilla dies, prompting officials to arrive and collect the body. Mistakenly perceiving Ahmet Nebil as a gorilla that merely resembles a human, they summon a scientific committee to investigate the situation. In a moment of irony, the scientific delegation, failing to recognize his humanity, examines Ahmet Nebil as if he were an animal. After initially finding amusement in their oversight, he eventually asserts his identity and explains that he is indeed human. This revelation prompts the scientific delegation to re-evaluate their assumptions and ultimately reintroduces Ahmet Nebil to the outside world.
When considering a 19th-century Ottoman novel that references gorillas, it is essential to analyze whether it embodies the characteristics of a fantasy novel. When realism was the dominant literary approach and scientific inquiry was gaining prominence, the construction of a narrative that evokes the theory of evolution is noteworthy. It raises questions about the author’s intentions and the broader implications of the text. Although it remains uncertain whether Halit Eyüp consciously recognized his work as a fantasy novel, it is evident that he sought to critique the period’s glorification of European scientific advancements, particularly the theory of evolution. The novel suggests a concurrence with Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s views on evolution, yet it also presents a sardonic critique of the notion that humans descended from gorillas. Through his narrative, Halit Eyüp playfully challenges this idea, positing instead that the regression of humans to a primitive state is more plausible than the civilizing of animals. In this way, he constructs a fantastic narrative that not only entertains but also engages with significant cultural and scientific discourses of his time.
In this study, the novel Goriller İçinde is examined through the lens of the criteria established in Tzvetan Todorov’s seminal work The Fantastic. This analysis reveals that these criteria align with the characteristics present in Goriller İçinde. Firstly, the interruption of a fairy tale-like story by one of Ahmet Nebil’s friends serves as an initial indication of the significance of reality within the narrative but also underscores the distinct nature of the extraordinary events that follow. This distinction is a fundamental characteristic of the fantastic genre: the fantastic narratives may depict extraordinary situations while the fairy tale is considered inherently fictional because of a consensus between the reader/listener and the author/narrator. Conversely, the fantastic novel operates under the assumption that, even if the described events are extraordinary, they could potentially be real. In Goriller İçinde, the construction of reality is maintained at a level that generates hesitation, as Todorov asserts. Ahmet Nebil’s tendency to narrate his experiences contributes to the uncertainty surrounding the veracity of the story he recounts. Since the narrator is exposed to the supernatural as an ordinary person, fear and horror are more amplified within the narrative, which Todorov underscores as a hallmark of the fantastic novel. As the core element of the fantastic, the ambiguity of events sustains hesitation, and in Goriller İçinde, this element is realized through Ahmet Nebil’s continuous confrontation with various dangers at every turn. Consequently, a novel crafted to critique the theory of evolution can be regarded as one of the earliest examples of fantastic literature in Turkish literary tradition.
