TRACING POLLYANNA IN TURKISH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Abstract

Eleanor H. Porter’s eponymous Pollyanna with her famous glad game has undoubtedly become a phenomenon denoting an attitude and perspective rather than simply being a literary character. Pollyanna is a prototype of well-behaved, modest, and content children in children’s literature, and she embodies not only an adult nostalgia for the naivety and pure goodness of childhood but also the merry and kind child that is wished for. Pollyanna has, in time, transformed into a cultural icon which has found different names in literatures of different cultures. Porter’s novel’s far-reaching influence can also be seen in Turkish children’s literature and screen adaptations through child protagonists that voice ideas surrounding Pollyanna. This can be related to the development of Turkish children’s literature that has occurred on the same axis with children’s literature in Western countries. Modern Turkish children’s literature started with the translations and adaptations of classics in Tanzimat Era (1839-1876) and this tradition continued almost until the mid 20th century. Therefore, Anglophone as well as French children’s classics became a model for modern Turkish children’s literature where the writers adopted and adapted outstanding themes, motifs and characters for Turkish child readers. This paper explores the intersections of Anglophone and Turkish children’s literature by tracing the influence of Pollyanna in Turkish children’s literature through the analyses of selected texts.