The Black Book as Parody of Epic

Antakyalioglu Z.

TURKISH STUDIES, vol.13, no.4, pp.665-682, 2012 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 13 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2012
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/14683849.2012.747298
  • Journal Name: TURKISH STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.665-682
  • Istanbul Kültür University Affiliated: No

Abstract

This essay examines Orhan Pamuk's The Black Book as a parody of epic. Mikhail Bakhtin's, Georg Lukacs' and Walter Benjamin's definitions of novel and its comparison with epic are taken as examples in illustrating how Pamuk molds the two opposing literary traditions in his postmodern fiction. The book is analyzed thoroughly in terms of characters, plot structure and puzzle-like construction in order to illustrate how they function as a parody of epic.