Browsing by Author "BALKAYA, Mehmet Akif"
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Item THE EFFECTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AS REFLECTED IN CHARLOTTE BRONTË’S SHIRLEY, CHARLES DICKENS’ HARD TIMES AND ELIZABETH GASKELL’S NORTH AND SOUTH(2014-09-07) BALKAYA, Mehmet Akif; GÜLTEKİN, LerzanThe purpose of this thesis is to analyse education, poverty, conditions in factories, child labour, the position of women, marriage and social unrest in the age of industrialization in England as reflected in Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849), Charles Dickens’ Hard Times (1854) and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855). Industrial Revolution is the transitional period between 1760 and 1840, a transition from handmade production to new manufacturing processes. Industrialization mainly started with cloth and cotton manufactory in many countries, particularly in England. The invention of the steam engine by James Watt gave way to mechanization and railways. Most part of the labour force was constituted by women and children who were working under hard conditions with little wages. The factory owners desired to be more and more rich by exploiting the women and children. Long hours of working were paid with minimum wages. It was the time when the country stopped making items on small scale, and started mass production, which would prove to be cheaper in the long run due to mechanization. The invention of new machines and the establishment of new factories paved the way for the industrialization era. In these novels, Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens criticized how the factory workers were exploited, how women were repressed by the patriarchal system and the condition of England during the age of industrialization. This thesis consists of an introduction, three main chapters and a conclusion. In the introductory chapter the social and historical context of “The Industrial Revolution” has been explored. In Chapter I, Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849), based on the “Luddite Riots of 1811- 15”, the causes and effects of the riots of the workers and the situation of the mill owner together with the themes of social unrest because of mechanization in factories, and the woman question in that age has been analysed. Also it is examined that the novel focuses not only on the industrial unrest but also on marriage concept in the Victorian Era. In Chapter II, Charles Dickens’ Hard Times (1854) is analysed, and it has been asserted that the disorder of the society is caused with the fact that people in factory towns are regarded as the products of the industrial age and automatons of that time and education; and the bleak factories even led the children to be educated as if the machines were programmed. In Chapter III, Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (1855) is analysed, and it has been emphasized that the contrast between the north and south (of England) was reflected together with the themes of love, education and class struggles and strikes causing violence. In the Conclusion, it is deduced that in these novels, the industrial revolution and its social aftermath make the society turn upside down. The fear of violence, as reflected in these novels and as witnessed in the history of England in the Luddite Riots (1811-15), Preston Lock-outs (1853-4), and the Chartist Movement (1839-1850s) put the novelists into indecisive, and conflicting feelings towards the rioting workers as reflected through the characters Moses, Barraclough, Slackbridge, Higgins and others. When analysing the works of these Victorian novelists, it can be said that Dickens is more pessimistic than Gaskell and Brontë with the portrayal of the outcomes of industrialization. Because of the tragic end of the Gradgrinds, and the death of the manufacturer without having chance to reconcile with the workers, the novel portrays a pessimistic end for the ruling class characters. Although the tragic end of the ruling-class-characters in Hard Times portrays a gloomy atmosphere, there still seems to be hope for reconciliation.Item THE STATE OF NATURE AND MIMETIC DESIRE AS CONDUCIVE TO THE STATE OF RIVALRY IN SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDIES: TITUS ANDRONICUS, MACBETH, AND KING LEAR(2022-02-15) BALKAYA, Mehmet Akif; Canlı, GülsenThe aim of this dissertation is to study William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus (1594), Macbeth (1606), and King Lear (1608) as examples of the state of rivalry which, as the study asserts, is related to Thomas Hobbes’ theory of the state of nature and René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire. To this end, the state of nature, mimetic desire, and the state of rivalry are studied along with their origins, definitions, types, and characteristics. The state of nature refers to the state of a man 1who is egotistic and self-preserving. A man in this state believes in equality by birth. In this state, man is at war against another, as there is no (or lack of) authority to keep everyone secure. However, even in a civil society under the dominion of authority, there may be human beings who are in that state. They may secretly put manipulative plans into action for personal gains. Such an authority constructs order with the help of civil laws to prevent any disobedience and civil strife. During a time of disobedience, this condition may spread like a contagious disease. Among the reasons that lead to such a conflict in the state of nature, for Hobbes, are competition, diffidence, and glory. These notions are parallel with mimetic desire. Mimetic desire refers to man’s mediated desire for an object. Imitating a mediator brings forth rivalry, as the desired object ascertains competition. Therefore, mimetic desire has a triangular structure: mediator as the model, the desirer, and the desired object. The study concludes that the characteristics of and the relationship between the state of nature and mimetic desire are conducive to the state of rivalry, as will be analyzed in Shakespeare’s selected three tragedies.