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Papers by Oğuzhan Ayrım

Research paper thumbnail of Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Nov 14, 2023

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Research paper thumbnail of Anti-Tales in Question: A Study on "Cinderella" of The Grimm Variations (2024)

Hacettepe University Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2024

The Grimm Variations is an episodic anime series released on Netflix in April 2024. The series is... more The Grimm Variations is an episodic anime series released on Netflix in April 2024. The series is composed of six classical stories of fairy tales inspired by the Brothers Grimm stories, from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood, from Hansel and Gretel to the Town Musicians of Bremen. The nature of the variations in the series does not come from the transfer of the stories as they are, but rather from certain changes in their content. The shifting rendition in each episode, however, comes with what we might call "a dark twist" and poses the question of "what if" Cinderella was not depicted as a passive heroine, and the Little Riding Hood was the one that hunts the wolf? These varied questions and answers are what classify this series as the composition of anti-tales, a phenomenon that is succinctly utilised by the feminist subversions of classical misogynistic stories. A comprehensive study of all episodes would be such a vast subject for this article. Therefore, this article limits itself to the critical standing of the first episode, "Cinderella". The purpose of this article is to investigate the critical feminist standing of the Cinderella story as an anti-tale in its 2024 rendition on a comparative basis with the classical story of the Brothers Grimm version.

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Research paper thumbnail of Metaphors of Authority: Power Politics of Identity and Perception in Irish Texts

The central aim of this article is to explore the power politics of perception between English an... more The central aim of this article is to explore the power politics of perception between English and Irish representations within selected canonised Irish texts. The focal point of this article orbits around the relationship between the observer and the observed with an essential emphasis on the roles of defining and defined subjects. Focusing on the metaphorical framework of Father England as the authority of gaze and Mother Ireland as the object of gaze, this article introduces Ireland’s post-independence era as the inception of a transformative journey that is characterised by a promise of self-definition after liberation from English dominion. In navigating the power dynamics of perception between Father England and Mother Ireland, this article takes a focused approach by analysing key literary works. Specifically, James Joyce’s “The Dead” (1914), Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s The Key (1949), and John Banville’s The Book of Evidence (1989) serve as illustrative examples. With these texts, this article aims to depict the trajectory of Ireland’s evolution from a position of being defined to a self-defining position.

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Research paper thumbnail of American Adam Myth and Ahab: Sartre's Masculine Principles in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick"

International Journal of Media Culture and Literature, 2024

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is open to many readings, but one that has yet to be explored is the ... more Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is open to many readings, but one that has yet to be explored is the existential reading of Ahab’s pursuit from a gender perspective. By weaving together biblical, mythical, and mystical elements, the novel promises that Captain Ahab’s vengeance on the whale actually transcends the expected qualities of a maritime quest. A self-made man, Ahab endures his ever-present obsession and relentlessly clings to his deadliest struggle, which echoes Sartre’s proclamation, “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.” Yet, intricately entwined with the spirit of nineteenth-century America, Ahab's character also assumes a canonical representation of American ideals. Thus, his hunting pursuit is overlaid onto America’s expansionist and imperialist mindset in the nineteenth century, which complements the hegemonically masculine manner camouflaged under this political ethos. Bearing this in mind, Melville subtly indicates that Ahab’s urge to assert his superiority over the whale is related to the biblical context of appointing females as something to take revenge on. In this narrative, Ahab's embodiment of the American hero undergoes a metamorphosis into an American Adam figure by asserting dominance over the whale that symbolises female subjugation. Interrogating Ahab's portrayal as an American Adam-type within the broader societal and political contexts of supremacist ideals, this article delves into Ahab's pursuit through the lens of Sartrean Existentialism. By doing so, this article interprets Ahab’s idealistic quest to hunt down the whale as a metaphor for hegemonic masculinity and subordinate femininity by exploring the subject/object, and the pursuer/pursued dynamics.

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Research paper thumbnail of Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville's The Book of Evidence

bitig Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2023

This article proposes to read John Banville's The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from t... more This article proposes to read John Banville's The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonist's first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of "the self" paralleling the text. The protagonist's mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation, as in Lacan's Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically (m)other, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mother's presence as "nothing," there is no soothing force for his adaptation to societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society and yet is attached to his own rules, which is the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddie's performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacan's identity theory.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Imprints of Jean-Paul Sartre's Ontological Classification of Being-for-itself and Being-in-itself in Anna Kavan's "Ice"

Anna Kavan's Ice harbours personal apocalypse within the nebulous state of mind that the protagon... more Anna Kavan's Ice harbours personal apocalypse within the nebulous state of mind that the protagonist undergoes. Catapulted into the state of ambiguity stemmed from macrocosmic apocalypse, the protagonist in Anna Kavan's Ice also finds himself in an ontological conundrum pinpointed in the relationship between the protagonist and the girl. It is my conviction that this sense of relationship in reminiscent of Jean Paul-Sartre's being-for-itself(pour-soi) and being-in-itself(en-soi), which semantically corresponds to the relationship between the subject and the Other. The girl, as an en-soi par excellence in this equation, becomes, as Sartre says, a raison d'être for the protagonist on a fictional tapestry (Being and Nothingness 275). When read in conjunction with this statement, the novel appears to be the protagonist's cyclical quest to fill the residual void after the rejection/departure of the girl/the en-soi, which rules out his unified ontological position. In this sense, this paper aims to interpret the relationship in Anna Kavan's Ice under the banner of Sartre's pour-soi and en-soi.

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Research paper thumbnail of On the Archetypal Father-Son Conflict: Parricide as Winning the Self in J. M. Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World

The parricide in The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge indicates the demise of protagon... more The parricide in The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge indicates the demise of protagonist's alienation from his "I" stemming from the father's domination. By this familial conundrum in the image of son/father-contextually of Ireland/England as well-the play gives a portrait about a conflict between two dichotomic "I"s, in which parental "I" annexes the other. So, while annexation of the father elevates his own authentic "I", it perforce rules out the son's "I" by imposing a constructed identity. In other words, liminal receptiveness of ontological "I" is pushed to the periphery by the authority. This leads to son's alienation from his own "authentic self", which, as a personal observation, is reminiscent of Martin Heidegger's Dasein that is lost in the hegemony of "dictatorship" culminating in an alienation of self under the banner of Distantiality (Entfremdung). This essay aims to reach a conclusion about the importance of symbolic parricide in exploring the dualities of the son and the father; relatedly Ireland and England; as well as interchangeable the other and "I" with reference to Dasein and Distantiality.

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Fictions by Oğuzhan Ayrım

Research paper thumbnail of Bugünün Ötesinde (Varoluşçu Bir Parodi)

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Drafts by Oğuzhan Ayrım

Research paper thumbnail of The Problem of Hamlet's (In)action: A Brief Review

This brief review posits that Hamlet’s hesitancy to take action could be rooted in his profound r... more This brief review posits that Hamlet’s hesitancy to take action could be rooted in his profound rational and intellectual disposition. The essay explores Hamlet’s apparent struggle with indecision within the axis of his inclination towards extensive contemplation, dedication to human dignity, and relentless commitment to rational and moral principles. As will be shown, these facets foreground pivotal arguments for the discussion of Hamlet’s impasse of (in)activity.

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Conference Presentations by Oğuzhan Ayrım

Research paper thumbnail of Sailing to Madness: New Essays on Moby Dick

Book of Abstracts: a collaboration of Ege University/ FACULTY OF LETTERS/ American Culture and Li... more Book of Abstracts: a collaboration of Ege University/ FACULTY OF LETTERS/
American Culture and Literature, English Language and Literature and Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen / PHILOSOPHISCHE FAKULTÄT /
American Studies

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Book Reviews by Oğuzhan Ayrım

Research paper thumbnail of LORD BYRON'S CAIN: A MYSTERY - BOOK REVIEW

MOLESTO: Journal of Literary Studies, 2023

Cain: A Mystery Lord Byron SYMPTOMS OF HOMOEROTICISM AND INCEST IN THE PLAY WITHIN THE FRAM... more Cain: A Mystery

Lord Byron

SYMPTOMS OF HOMOEROTICISM AND INCEST IN THE PLAY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BYRONIC HERO.

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Research paper thumbnail of Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Nov 14, 2023

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Research paper thumbnail of Anti-Tales in Question: A Study on "Cinderella" of The Grimm Variations (2024)

Hacettepe University Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2024

The Grimm Variations is an episodic anime series released on Netflix in April 2024. The series is... more The Grimm Variations is an episodic anime series released on Netflix in April 2024. The series is composed of six classical stories of fairy tales inspired by the Brothers Grimm stories, from Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood, from Hansel and Gretel to the Town Musicians of Bremen. The nature of the variations in the series does not come from the transfer of the stories as they are, but rather from certain changes in their content. The shifting rendition in each episode, however, comes with what we might call "a dark twist" and poses the question of "what if" Cinderella was not depicted as a passive heroine, and the Little Riding Hood was the one that hunts the wolf? These varied questions and answers are what classify this series as the composition of anti-tales, a phenomenon that is succinctly utilised by the feminist subversions of classical misogynistic stories. A comprehensive study of all episodes would be such a vast subject for this article. Therefore, this article limits itself to the critical standing of the first episode, "Cinderella". The purpose of this article is to investigate the critical feminist standing of the Cinderella story as an anti-tale in its 2024 rendition on a comparative basis with the classical story of the Brothers Grimm version.

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Research paper thumbnail of Metaphors of Authority: Power Politics of Identity and Perception in Irish Texts

The central aim of this article is to explore the power politics of perception between English an... more The central aim of this article is to explore the power politics of perception between English and Irish representations within selected canonised Irish texts. The focal point of this article orbits around the relationship between the observer and the observed with an essential emphasis on the roles of defining and defined subjects. Focusing on the metaphorical framework of Father England as the authority of gaze and Mother Ireland as the object of gaze, this article introduces Ireland’s post-independence era as the inception of a transformative journey that is characterised by a promise of self-definition after liberation from English dominion. In navigating the power dynamics of perception between Father England and Mother Ireland, this article takes a focused approach by analysing key literary works. Specifically, James Joyce’s “The Dead” (1914), Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s The Key (1949), and John Banville’s The Book of Evidence (1989) serve as illustrative examples. With these texts, this article aims to depict the trajectory of Ireland’s evolution from a position of being defined to a self-defining position.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of American Adam Myth and Ahab: Sartre's Masculine Principles in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick"

International Journal of Media Culture and Literature, 2024

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is open to many readings, but one that has yet to be explored is the ... more Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is open to many readings, but one that has yet to be explored is the existential reading of Ahab’s pursuit from a gender perspective. By weaving together biblical, mythical, and mystical elements, the novel promises that Captain Ahab’s vengeance on the whale actually transcends the expected qualities of a maritime quest. A self-made man, Ahab endures his ever-present obsession and relentlessly clings to his deadliest struggle, which echoes Sartre’s proclamation, “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.” Yet, intricately entwined with the spirit of nineteenth-century America, Ahab's character also assumes a canonical representation of American ideals. Thus, his hunting pursuit is overlaid onto America’s expansionist and imperialist mindset in the nineteenth century, which complements the hegemonically masculine manner camouflaged under this political ethos. Bearing this in mind, Melville subtly indicates that Ahab’s urge to assert his superiority over the whale is related to the biblical context of appointing females as something to take revenge on. In this narrative, Ahab's embodiment of the American hero undergoes a metamorphosis into an American Adam figure by asserting dominance over the whale that symbolises female subjugation. Interrogating Ahab's portrayal as an American Adam-type within the broader societal and political contexts of supremacist ideals, this article delves into Ahab's pursuit through the lens of Sartrean Existentialism. By doing so, this article interprets Ahab’s idealistic quest to hunt down the whale as a metaphor for hegemonic masculinity and subordinate femininity by exploring the subject/object, and the pursuer/pursued dynamics.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville's The Book of Evidence

bitig Journal of Faculty of Letters, 2023

This article proposes to read John Banville's The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from t... more This article proposes to read John Banville's The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonist's first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of "the self" paralleling the text. The protagonist's mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation, as in Lacan's Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically (m)other, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mother's presence as "nothing," there is no soothing force for his adaptation to societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society and yet is attached to his own rules, which is the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddie's performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacan's identity theory.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Imprints of Jean-Paul Sartre's Ontological Classification of Being-for-itself and Being-in-itself in Anna Kavan's "Ice"

Anna Kavan's Ice harbours personal apocalypse within the nebulous state of mind that the protagon... more Anna Kavan's Ice harbours personal apocalypse within the nebulous state of mind that the protagonist undergoes. Catapulted into the state of ambiguity stemmed from macrocosmic apocalypse, the protagonist in Anna Kavan's Ice also finds himself in an ontological conundrum pinpointed in the relationship between the protagonist and the girl. It is my conviction that this sense of relationship in reminiscent of Jean Paul-Sartre's being-for-itself(pour-soi) and being-in-itself(en-soi), which semantically corresponds to the relationship between the subject and the Other. The girl, as an en-soi par excellence in this equation, becomes, as Sartre says, a raison d'être for the protagonist on a fictional tapestry (Being and Nothingness 275). When read in conjunction with this statement, the novel appears to be the protagonist's cyclical quest to fill the residual void after the rejection/departure of the girl/the en-soi, which rules out his unified ontological position. In this sense, this paper aims to interpret the relationship in Anna Kavan's Ice under the banner of Sartre's pour-soi and en-soi.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of On the Archetypal Father-Son Conflict: Parricide as Winning the Self in J. M. Synge's "The Playboy of the Western World

The parricide in The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge indicates the demise of protagon... more The parricide in The Playboy of the Western World by J. M. Synge indicates the demise of protagonist's alienation from his "I" stemming from the father's domination. By this familial conundrum in the image of son/father-contextually of Ireland/England as well-the play gives a portrait about a conflict between two dichotomic "I"s, in which parental "I" annexes the other. So, while annexation of the father elevates his own authentic "I", it perforce rules out the son's "I" by imposing a constructed identity. In other words, liminal receptiveness of ontological "I" is pushed to the periphery by the authority. This leads to son's alienation from his own "authentic self", which, as a personal observation, is reminiscent of Martin Heidegger's Dasein that is lost in the hegemony of "dictatorship" culminating in an alienation of self under the banner of Distantiality (Entfremdung). This essay aims to reach a conclusion about the importance of symbolic parricide in exploring the dualities of the son and the father; relatedly Ireland and England; as well as interchangeable the other and "I" with reference to Dasein and Distantiality.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Problem of Hamlet's (In)action: A Brief Review

This brief review posits that Hamlet’s hesitancy to take action could be rooted in his profound r... more This brief review posits that Hamlet’s hesitancy to take action could be rooted in his profound rational and intellectual disposition. The essay explores Hamlet’s apparent struggle with indecision within the axis of his inclination towards extensive contemplation, dedication to human dignity, and relentless commitment to rational and moral principles. As will be shown, these facets foreground pivotal arguments for the discussion of Hamlet’s impasse of (in)activity.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Sailing to Madness: New Essays on Moby Dick

Book of Abstracts: a collaboration of Ege University/ FACULTY OF LETTERS/ American Culture and Li... more Book of Abstracts: a collaboration of Ege University/ FACULTY OF LETTERS/
American Culture and Literature, English Language and Literature and Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen / PHILOSOPHISCHE FAKULTÄT /
American Studies

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Research paper thumbnail of LORD BYRON'S CAIN: A MYSTERY - BOOK REVIEW

MOLESTO: Journal of Literary Studies, 2023

Cain: A Mystery Lord Byron SYMPTOMS OF HOMOEROTICISM AND INCEST IN THE PLAY WITHIN THE FRAM... more Cain: A Mystery

Lord Byron

SYMPTOMS OF HOMOEROTICISM AND INCEST IN THE PLAY WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE BYRONIC HERO.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact