Storytelling and story repertoire of minstrel Murat Cobanoglu

In this study, Minstrel Murat Cobanoglu has been examined as a "master minstrel narrator" within the scope of the repertoire diversity consisting of 'master made' stories known and narrated by him as well as stories classified by him. The study consists of six chapters and texts. In the First Chapter titled Introduction, the folk tales are discussed within the scope of their sources, classifications as well as studies on stories and storytelling. After providing general information about Kars Province, the tradition of storytelling in Kars and the cultural environments it interacts with are highlighted. In the Second Chapter, the storytelling tradition of Anatolia is handled with a holistic approach in terms of narrator, audience, text, place, and performance within the framework of performance-centered theories. Additionally, the current situation of folk storytelling is also evaluated. The Third Chapter is based on the life and art of Minstrel Murat Cobanoglu. After informing about his life, his activities related to the art of minstrelsy are listed. "Minstrel Murat Cobanoglu Bibliography" has been created in line with the conducted and published studies. In the Fourth Chapter, the storytelling of Minstrel Murat Cobanoglu is evaluated in terms of his narratorship and authorship. After listing the 'master made' stories he knew and told as well as the stories he classified, the episodes and summaries of the stories he narrated are provided. The similarities and differences in the stories are compared within the scope of "similar texts". The Fifth Chapter is related to the analysis of the texts. The plots, motifs, language, and narrative features of the texts are examined. Some determinations have been made relating to the changes about forgetting, remembering, repetition, and surprises taking place during the narration. In the Sixth Chapter, the poems in the stories are classified in line with their locations, situations, and narrators; and are also examined in terms of their morphologies. The musical features of the narratives in verse are emphasized. The texts of the stories in the tape cassettes and the compilation records made within the scope of the Turkish Language Association Project and transcribed by us have been included at the end of the study, along with the texts identified from the written sources.