An investigation on Turkish novel adaptations staged in state theaters

Literature and theatre are two disciplines that draw upon the oldest narrative traditions in human history. Although they are thematically intertwined, they differ significantly in terms of their ontological nature and structural characteristics. While literature is an art of telling (diegesis), completed within the silent realm of words through the reader's imagination, theatre is an act of showing (mimesis), created through the physical presence of performers, sound, light, and the immediacy of the "here and now." Situated at the intersection of these two disciplines, adaptation is not merely a technical transfer of a text from one medium to another; rather, it constitutes a dynamic creative process in which cultural memory is reproduced and aesthetic as well as ideological perspectives are reconstructed. This study aims to examine the creative dialogue established between the rich tradition of the Turkish novel and the performing arts through the case of the State Theatres of Türkiye (DT). Within the scope of the research, Turkish-language novel adaptations staged by the State Theatres between 1962 and 2021 were examined. The study seeks to reveal both the cultural function undertaken by the State Theatres in bringing Turkish novels to the stage within the context of Republican theatre policies and the structural and aesthetic transformations that occurred throughout this adaptation process. Within the theoretical framework of the dissertation, the concept of fidelity, one of the most controversial issues in adaptation studies, is critically examined. Contrary to the traditional critical perspective, which evaluates adaptations primarily in terms of their literal faithfulness to the source text, this study adopts an approach that emphasizes fidelity to the spirit, central theme, and atmosphere of the original work, acknowledging the inherent differences between literary and theatrical forms. The research employs a qualitative research design, utilizing document analysis for data collection and comparative textual analysis for data analysis. The corpus consists of 33 different Turkish-language novels and 36 theatrical adaptations staged by the State Theatres. The adaptations were classified into three categories—Literal Adaptation, Interpretive Adaptation, and Free Adaptation. As a result of this classification, 6 literal adaptations, 27 interpretive adaptations, and 3 free adaptations were identified. Within each category, the works were analyzed chronologically according to the date of their first performance. In the empirical section of the study, novel adaptations identified through the Digital Play Information System of the Refik Ahmet Sevengil Theatre Library of the State Theatres were examined. The corpus includes landmark works of Turkish literature such as Çalıkuşu, Murtaza, Sultan Hamid Düşerken, Tırpan, Osmancık, The Time Regulation Institute, Aşk-ı Memnu, Huzur, Kuyucaklı Yusuf, Madonna in a Fur Coat, Yaban, Gulyabani, Yer Demir Gök Bakır, Değirmen, Felatun Bey ile Rakım Efendi, Şıpsevdi, and Kuyruklu Yıldız Altında Bir İzdivaç. These works were examined comparatively in terms of plot structure, character development, the use of time and space, and narrative techniques. The findings demonstrate that, in the process of condensing the expansive epic temporality of the novel into the concentrated dramatic time of the theatre, internal monologues were transformed into dialogues, descriptive passages into visual mise-en-scène, and the narrative voice into stage action. In addition, adaptation strategies such as omission, addition, combination, rewriting, and concretization were identified as being employed with varying degrees of intensity throughout the adaptation process. The findings of the study indicate that the State Theatres have shown an increasing interest in novel adaptations, particularly since 1962, and that this genre has come to occupy a significant place within the institution's repertoire. Ultimately, adaptation should not be regarded as a secondary reproduction of a source text but rather as a vital artistic practice through which a literary work is reborn in a different artistic medium and introduced to new generations of audiences. This study demonstrates that the interaction between Turkish literature and Turkish theatre constitutes an important reflection of Türkiye's modernization process and its evolving aesthetic pursuits.