Güzide Sabri’nin İlk Dönem Romanlarında Melankolinin Psikanalitik İncelemesi
Merve Esra ÖzgürbüzMelankoli, tıbbi ve psikolojik araştırmalarda öne çıkan bir konudur ve kişinin iç dünyasında derin izler bırakan bu ruh hâlinin incelenmesi önemlidir. Psikiyatride depresif bozuklukların bir alt türü olarak ele alınan melankoli; Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein, Julia Kristeva gibi psikanalistlerin çalışmalarıyla psikodinamik açıdan analiz edilir. Edebiyat dünyasında melankoli, karakterlerin içsel çatışmalarını ifade etmek için sıklıkla kullanılan güçlü bir temadır. Bu çalışma, Güzide Sabri Aygün’ün Münevver ve Ölmüş Bir Kadının Evrak-ı Metrukesi adlı romanlarında aşk, kayıp ve melankoli temalarını psikanalitik kuram çerçevesinde incelemektedir. İncelenen eserlerdeki karakterler, sevdiklerinin kaybıyla derin bir üzüntü yaşar; hem ruhsal hem de bedensel işleyişi olumsuz etkileyen bir durum olan melankolinin tesiriyle fiziksel ve duygusal acı çekerler. Bunun yanı sıra karakterlerin mekân ve zamandan kaçma arzusu içinde oldukları görülür. Karakterler, mevcut gerçeklikten duydukları memnuniyetsizlik nedeniyle hayalî dünyalara, farklı mekân ve zamanlara sığınma eğilimindedirler. Çalışmada edebî eserlerdeki melankoli temalarının incelenmesinin, bireylerin iç dünyalarını anlamada ve insan psikolojisini derinlemesine kavramadaki önemi ve edebiyat ile psikoloji arasındaki etkileşim vurgulanır. Güzide Sabri’nin ilk dönem romanları, kayıp duygusu ile ondan kaynaklanan melankoliyi edebî bir dille işleyerek okuyuculara insanın içsel çatışmalarını ve kaygılarını anlama fırsatı sunar.
A Psychoanalytic Analysis of Melancholy in the Early Novels of Güzide Sabri
Merve Esra ÖzgürbüzMelancholy is an important topic in medical and psychological research, and the study of this mood, which leaves deep traces in a person's inner world, is crucial. In psychiatry, melancholy is considered a subtype of depressive disorders. It is analyzed from a psychodynamic perspective through the works of psychoanalysts, such as Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein and Julia Kristeva. In the literary world, melancholy is a powerful theme that is often used to express the characters’ inner conflicts. This study examines the themes of love, loss and melancholy in the novels Münevver and Ölmüş Bir Kadının Evrak-ı Metrukesi by Güzide Sabri Aygün within a psychoanalytical framework. The characters in these works experience deep grief due to the loss of their loved ones. They suffer from mental and physical anxiety influenced by melancholy, a condition that affects both their mental and physical well-being. In addition, they show a desire to escape space and time and seek refuge in imaginary worlds and different temporal and spatial environments due to their dissatisfaction with the present reality. The study of melancholic themes in literary works emphasizes the significance of understanding people's inner worlds and grasping human psychology in depth and highlights the interaction between literature and psychology. Güzide Sabri’s early novels eloquently portray the melancholy that arises from a sense of loss and offer the reader the opportunity to understand people's inner conflicts and fears through literary expression.
Melancholia is extensively studied and discussed in medicine and psychology. In clinical descriptions, melancholia is usually described as a state of "pessimism" and "low" mood characterized by profound sadness, hopelessness and loss of energy. This mental state affects both the daily functioning and the quality of life of the individual. Melancholy results from a complex interplay of psychological and biological factors and profoundly affect a person's inner world. In the literature, melancholy is often explored as a profound theme. It serves as a powerful means of expressing the inner conflicts, profound sadness and characters’ despair. Melancholic themes allow individuals to formulate existential questions and explore the meaning of life and the inevitability of death through words. In this context, melancholy functions as a description of a mood in literature and a philosophical tool that penetrates the depths of human experience.
Güzide Sabri Aygün, who is considered an important figure in Turkish literature because she emphasizes the voices and feelings of women, provides impressive examples of the literary representation of melancholy in her early novels Münevver (1901) and Ölmüş Bir Kadının Evrak-ı Metrukesi (1905). In both novels, the characters’ deep emotional conflicts and unrequited love serve as literary reflections of melancholic states. This study aims to analyze the aforementioned novels using Freud’s theories of melancholy and grief and to decipher the psychological and emotional experiences of the characters. Such a theoretical framework allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of the themes of love, loss and melancholy in the novels. It provides a new and original perspective on the intersection of literature and psychology.
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory has profoundly influenced the understanding and analysis of the human inner world. In particular, concepts, such as grief and melancholy, play an important role in understanding and explaining the individual’s emotional world. Evaluating the themes addressed in Güzide Sabri’s novels within a psychoanalytical framework allows for a comprehensive analysis of the characters’ inner conflicts and emotional richness. In examining the concept of melancholy in the texts studied, the focus is on its physical and emotional dimensions. Homer's approach to the relationship between mind and body makes it possible to view melancholy not only as a mental illness but also as a condition that affects the unity of mind and body. Münevver’s tuberculosis and Fikret’s heart condition illustrate how physical illness can deepen melancholy or how melancholy can exacerbate physical illness. The physical dimension of melancholy reflects the deep distress and conflict in a person's inner world. Furthermore, the examination of the relationship between melancholy and death shows that characters, such as Münevver and Fikret long for death and contemplate suicide, due to their deep attachment to the lost object. Their suicide attempts and longing for death reflect the profound pain and conflicts of melancholy. In addition, the characters attempt to alleviate their inner turmoil through spatial and spiritual escape. However, these escapes offer no lasting solution and deepen the characters’ inner loneliness.
The preconditions of melancholy, such as loss of object, ambivalence and the regression of the libido to the ego, provide clues for understanding the psychological states of Münevver, Şefik, Fikret and Nejat. The loss of objects begins with the characters internalizing the losses they value, which leads to a feeling of emptiness. This loss deeply shakes their self-perception and emotional balance. Ambivalence explains the characters' contradictory feelings towards the lost person or ideal and the inner conflicts these feelings provoke. The couples long for their lost lovers and, at the same time, avoid them, which leads to emotional turmoil. The regression of libido to the ego illustrates the processes that lead the characters to feel worthless and guilty. Münevver, Şefik, Fikret and Nejat, who feel guilty and worthless in place of the lost object or ideal, exercise deep self-criticism by directing their complex emotions towards their egos. The interplay of these three elements reveals the psychodynamic structure of melancholy.
