Cultural crystallization of society in post-modern narration and unconventional narrators in the novel My Red Name by Orhan Pamuk

“Orhan Pamuk” is one of the most prominent contemporary writers of Turkey, who has had a significant impact on the country's literary scene. Throughout his literary career, he has won important awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. Pamuk's works often encompass profound concepts rooted in ancient stories, legends, mystical and epic tales, and traditional narratives; however, they are simultaneously intertwined with modern life and the everyday issues faced by contemporary humans. He strives to establish a connection between cultural heritage and modern achievements, with history, culture, art, and Iranian literature playing a vital role in his works. Pamuk believes that Iranians are people of authenticity, with a rich culture and loyalty to their national identity, and that they should serve as models for preserving their cultural values. He has sought to explore the various potentials of Persian literature and utilize them in his works to both introduce Iranian culture to the world and create unique artistic expressions. This research employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine and analyze the polyphonic aspects of Orhan Pamuk's novel My Name is Red. The narrative style, identity, and diverse positions of multiple narrators are explored. The findings indicate that despite Pamuk's adherence to postmodern patterns, he has employed a novel approach in storytelling, character development, narrator selection, and defining their nature and position. Additionally, by creatively utilizing postmodern elements, he has transformed painted images inspired by the Khosrow and Shirin cycle into narrative events.
Introduction:
This introduces an innovative element to Pamuk's novel by forging connections between image and narrative; in other words, it establishes relationships between miniature art (Negargari) and literary storytelling.
In addition to recounting the story of Khosrow and Shirin, this novel also explores paintings related to other themes from classical Persian literature. It creates a point of intersection by blending one form of art painting with another literary genre in storytelling and crafting a new narrative within an Ottoman historical context. In fact, it can be said that My Name is Red simultaneously pursues several purposes parallelly.
The various narrators who recount events in this novel do not share uniform characteristics or identities. Sometimes they are human narrators; at other times, they take on animal forms such as dogs or mules. Occasionally, they are objects like coins or colors, and even abstract concepts like “death” may assume the role of narrator through anthropomorphism.
The novel My Name is Red is set during the Ottoman period, specifically spanning the reigns of Sultan Selim II to Sultan Ahmed I. To illustrate the contrast between tradition and modernity, Pamuk uses this historical backdrop to highlight the shared cultural elements between Iran and the Ottoman Empire. He incorporates narratives inspired by paintings and artworks created by artists to retell stories from classical Persian literature such as Khosrow and Shirin by Nizami Ganjavi. This approach results in an innovative fusion of miniature art and literary storytelling.
In addition to the story of Khosrow and Shirin, related paintings depicting other Persian literary themes are also presented to illustrate the intersection of visual art with various literary genres. Pamuk portrays characters in diverse forms; sometimes as humans, other times as animals or objects such as coins or colors. Even abstract concepts, like death, appear as lively, speaking entities. The narrative style is often monologic or resembles a monologue, occasionally addressing the readers directly.
Overall, My Name is Red serves multiple purposes: showcasing Ottoman familiarity with Eastern miniature art; illustrating how Western modern painting styles entered Ottoman court culture; resisting religious-cultural conservatism against new changes; and attempting to merge visual arts with storytelling from classical Iranian literature. This work symbolizes the tension between tradition and modernity, the fusion of different arts forms, and emphasizes cultural identity amid societal transformations.
Methodology:
The method of narration generally occurs through internal monologues or soliloquies, where narrators sometimes speak directly to the readers and at other times do so without acknowledging them.
In the novel My Name is Red, on one hand, people from various social classes and Ottoman courtiers have become familiar with Eastern miniatures. At the same time, due to Istanbul's unique position and the influx of Westerners, portraits and principles of modern painting are introduced to the Ottoman court.
Despite widespread cultural and religious resistance, some individuals practice this new style of painting to demonstrate to newcomers that they are not lacking in any way.
Pamuk depicts those devoted to Eastern art and thought as believing that "God is at the forefront of affairs," adhering to faith and imagery inspired by the divine spirit bestowed upon humanity. In contrast, Western modernists prioritize "humanity at the forefront of affairs," embracing experience and humanism.
The thematic development in this novel is achieved through repetition and emphasis on motifs derived from classical Persian literature; these recurring elements gradually unveil the story's central theme.
Results and Discussion:
In this research, using a descriptive-analytical method, the polyphonic aspect of the novel My Name is Red, Pamuk's narrative style, and identity and position of its multiple diverse narrators have been examined and analyzed.
The findings indicate that despite Pamuk's adherence to postmodern patterns, he employs an innovative approach in narration, character development, and the selection of narrators as well as in defining their nature and position within this novel.
Conclusion:
Additionally, through a creative use of postmodern elements, he has transformed the constructed images from the story of Khosrow and Shirin into narrative events. Furthermore, he has effectively created a symbolic conflict between supporters of Iranian miniature painting and advocates of Venetian portrait painting, revealing the contradictions, struggles, and motivations of each side in the internal and external dialogues of the novel's characters.
Thus, Pamuk offers an interpretation of the worldview and beliefs of a society transitioning from tradition to modernity, where the conflict between Eastern traditionalists and Westernizers is so intense that it results in murder and violence. He reveals the personal ambitions of the elites, portraying the struggle between tradition and modernity, East and West, or any such dichotomy as a pretext for each power contender to pursue their true objectives amid widespread ignorance and belief in popular superstitions.