Autobiographical reflections and self-representations in the works of Atti̇lâ İlhan

Autobiography, in the basic sense, is referred to as self-history. In this sense Autobiography, is a literary experience of the author's life as a living subject. As a modern narrative, autobiography gains intensity with the age of enlightenment; because, with the idea of enlightenment, the metaphysical cover which prevails over the "self" phenomenon disappears and the individual sets out to explore his or her vital experience. The self-representations can be defined as the sum of the experiences that the individual has acquired as a result of his experience and the effects of the social structure on him. The individual creates his / her self from the social structures and subjective experiences. Therefore, in the psychoanalytic literature, the self is considered and examined with "ego". Attilâ İlhan is one of the most important names in Turkish Literature who convey different and unique experiences to his writings and works with his sophisticated identity and personal history. In his works, it is possible to find traces of self-representations and autobiographical reflections. İlhan's works, especially his literary works, are rich in terms of self-representations that emerge under the influence of consciousness and sub-consciousness. The aim of the thesis is to examine the works of Attilâ İlhan under the titles of "Autobiographical Reflections" and "Self-representations" and to elucidate the textual distance between self and literature; autobiography and literature.