Evolution of storytelling from traditional to modern: The case of Hatay

Hatay is a significant city in terms of having a mosaic structure. Therefore, the diversity of this mosaic structure is also reflected in oral culture items. Tales, being one of the most important items of oral culture, also carry this cultural diversity. This study aims to give the current situation of narrative and narrators through tales and storytellers of Hatay. The purpose is to explain the reasons of narrators and narrative, why people need a narrator and specify how the formation cycle of modern storytelling has emerged recently. In this study, the situation of storytelling is discussed by interviewing the source people and based on a literature study. This study consists of introduction, four main parts and conclusion. In this study, firstly, general information about the research field Hatay is given, then the tales and storytelling that are compiled in Hatay are evaluated functionally and the transformation process of storytelling in Hatay from traditional to modern is discussed. The tradition of narration has been going on since ancient times. It is observed that narration continues in Hatay and appears in a new form according to the needs of the new age. This situation that narration has come from past to present in Hatay has been explained by making observations in the field. Functional theory has been used to explain this situation. The situation has also been examined through the narrator, listener, performance place and elements of text, music and dress which constitute the subject of the theory. In this context, tales compiled from different narrators in many different environments have enabled us to understand the evolution of narrative from traditional to modern in Hatay.