Messianic hopes in Oğuz Atay’s works :|representations of Jesus in Tutunamayanlar and “Beyaz Mantolu Adam”

Abstract

The image and the life story of Jesus narrated in the Scriptures has put into literary form faithfully or with varying degrees of transformation throughout the ages by authors of various literatures, each with differing worldviews. The interest was shown towards Jesus in pre-modern Turkish literature was shared by modern Turkish authors as well. Recently, Oğuz Atay is among those who deal most extensively with the literary representations of Jesus in its various aspects in his works. This thesis identifies the variety of representations of Jesus in Oğuz Atay’s Tutunamayanlar [The Disconnected] and “Beyaz Mantolu Adam” [The Man with White Coat] and analyzes their significance and functions in the context of each text. In addition, it demonstrates that the figure of Jesus, transformed by rewriting, adaption or parody assumes a critical tone in multiple contexts. It also argues that the life and certain sayings of Jesus set a good example for some of the characters. Finally, it discusses the various aspects of two different messianic thoughts that arise from the representations in each work.