A Look into the Modernization of Turkish Literature Through the Lens of Patronage

This study aims at analyzing the formation of modernization movements in Turkish literature, which advanced from the 1860s on, within the context of transforming relationships of patronage. With an aim to show the importance of the transformation of patronage in the formation of the modernization movements in Turkish literary history, the first part of the study provides the background of artistic patronage through a theoretical framework. Then the function of the patronage mechanism in the context of artistic production throughout the historical development of Turkish literature is outlined. The second part discusses the reflections of the changing patronage on the artworks of Tanzimat artists. It is also shown that the radical transformation in the discourse and understanding of the literary works of this era is a direct result of the alternative financial sources that demolish the suppression of the writer. The third part focuses on how the pressure groups against the sovereign political and economic authority of the court became new patronage centers safeguarding opposing intellectuals and artists in the 19th century Ottoman Empire, and how they affected the processes of modernization movements in Turkish literature. When the data is analyzed in a holistic manner, it can be understood that the modernization movements in Turkish literature which started in the Tanzimat era cannot be comprehended independently from the results of the decline of patronage.