A study on the narrative of "seven sleepers" in the post-1980 Turkish novel within the context of intertextuality

In this study, the transformation of the Seven Sleepers narrative, which holds a common place in Islamic and Christian cultural environments, within post-1980 Turkish novels (Kehribar Geçidi, Baba, Oğul ve Kutsal Roman, Hüzün Yanığı), is interpreted within the context of intertextuality. Especially with the postmodern understanding of literature, traditional narratives appear with different meanings, forms, and usage areas through rewriting in contemporary literature. Intertextuality is an effective method of making this rewriting process meaningful; because it creates a bridge between the past and the present by making visible the relationships established between literary texts at the level of structure, content, and meaning. In this study, Nazan Bekiroğlu's Kehribar Geçidi, Murat Gülsoy's Baba, Oğul ve Kutsal Roman, and Sinan Yağmur's Hüzün Yanığı are subjected to an intertextual reading on the axis of the Ashab-ı Kehf (Seven Sleepers) story in the Holy Quran. In this regard, the ways in which the Seven Sleepers narrative is transformed in the novels in question, the themes with which it is associated, and the narrative strategies through which it is crafted are analyzed. As a result of the examinations, it has been determined that the legend gained new meanings through rewriting in all three works; it has been revealed that these meanings offer a multi-layered interpretation opportunity on both individual and social levels. In this respect, the study aims to make an original contribution to the relationship between traditional narratives and contemporary literature.