Series | Eurasian Studies
Edited book | Riflessi e ombre nel Mar Bianco
Chapter | Riflessi e ombre del sé in Beyaz Kale di Orhan Pamuk
Abstract
This essay focuses on Beyaz Kale (The White Castle), the first historical novel in Orhan Pamuk’s literary production. Generally considered by Turkish critics as a fictional adaptation of East‑West dichotomies, the work leads to a more accurate reflection on power dynamics and hegemonic hierarchies in the trans‑Mediterranean space of the seventeenth century. Dealing in particular with the peculiar symbology of the mirror exhibited in the text, I will illustrate how Pamuk appeals to the complex dialectics between Venice and the Ottoman Empire to frame identity, history and cultural memory issues in the context of Turkish nation‑building.
Submitted: June 26, 2023 | Accepted: Sept. 13, 2023 | Published Feb. 21, 2024 | Language: it
Keywords Mirror • History • Ottoman Empire • Turkish identity • Orhan Pamuk • Venice
Copyright © 2024 Tina Maraucci. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-794-4/007