A Study on Dismantling and Convergence of Genre Boundaries in Turkish Literature: Aspects of Crossover between Novel and Myth in The Red Haired Woman

Abstract

Orhan Pamuk combines different mythological genres into The Red Haired Woman and modernizes traditional themes like the father's absence, submission to and rebellion against the father's authority, and fate in the father-son relationship. The theme of the Greek story Oedipus is “killing a father”, and the Persian myth of Rustem and Shihrab is “murder of a son”, with contrasting motives. The lack of a father unites the two narratives, despite their seeming contradictions. We can witness how the novel is born from the myth as the main character Cem's life crossovers with the myths in various ways. Both novels and myths reflect the universal love-hate relationship between father and son, but what is new is that Pamuk reinterprets motifs such as father-son love, conflicts and death through the main characters of modern novels.