Social networks and literary prestige in the Ottoman poetry of III. Ahmed era

This thesis is an investigation into the effects of social capital on the literary prestige (its acquirement, protection, accumulation, loss, and so forth) of Ottoman poets. The primary objective of this investigation is to understand the principle literary, social, political, institutional, personal, and historical dynamics that influenced the prestige and literary visibility of Ottoman poets. Towards this end, the thesis analyzes select literary genres and texts (consisting of divans, vekaletnames, tezkires, and poetry and nazire magazines) from the 18th century and focuses on a group of poets who actively produced poetry during the III. Ahmed era. In accordance with this purpose Tırsî, Nedîm, Vahîd/Mahtûmî, Arpaemînizâde Sâmî, Râşid, İzzet Ali Paşa, Sâkıb Dede, Seyyîd Vehbî, Ârifzâde Asım, Nahîfî, Âtıf-ı Defterî, Mirzâzâde Sâlim, Rıza Neccarzâde, Neylî and Eğrikapılı Râsim were chosen as the sample set. In line with this, with a specific eye towards literary relations and ties (e.g., intisap and patronage) that were established and reflected in royal courts, madrasas, and other institutional and social circles, the thesis presents an alternative picture of the 18th-century Ottoman poetry. In order to frame and understand this picture, the thesis employs particular theoretical lenses, approaches, and concepts such as social capital and social relation networks, literary prestige, and the field of literature. One of the main findings of this investigation is that there were always third party actors, i.e., intermediaries, in the Ottoman literary field that did not only mediate the relations between the poet and his/her patron or commissioner but at times affected, regulated, and even generated the commissioning, circulation, and destiny of poems. Keywords: literary prestige, social capital, intermediaries, Ottoman poetry, the III Ahmed era