Erased and Displaced Identities in S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep

Yıldırım Özsevgeç

Makale detayları

Erased and Displaced Identities in S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep

Yazarlar:

Yıldırım Özsevgeç

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Dergi:

Edebiyat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi Issue 72, pp.86-94

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001318497

pISSN:

2822-4779

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Steve J. Watson was born in England in 1971. Watson, who worked as an audiologist in the NHS before starting his writing career, had the opportunity to closely observe the characters lives, which would be the subject of his works in the hospital where he worked. Based on the lives of Henry Gustav Molaison and Clive Wearing, both of whom have long-term memory problems Before I Go to Sleep was published in 2011. Molaison and Wearings years of illness had a profound effect on Watson. Similarly, Christine, the novels protagonist, also suffers from Molaison and Wearing syndrome. Waking up every morning with a new identity, Christine tries to make sense of what is happening around her until she falls asleep again. The forgetfulness she experiences alienates her from everything. Given that similar circumstances exist in real life, Watson aims to show the reader the effect of memory on identity through Christine. Studies on memory always play an essential role in fiction. Many literary texts concentrate on how characters remember their past and how this memory triggers the construction of their identity. In other words, many texts serve as representations of individual memories. While memories form ones identity, amnesia leads to a new identity, life, personality and darkness. Therefore, for fiction writers, amnesia is a tool that emphasizes the relationship between identity and memory. Based on these facts, this study will focus on Christine, who wakes up every morning as a new person and will seek the answer to whether identity can be constructed without memory.

 Steve J. Watson was born in England in 1971. Watson, who worked as an audiologist in the NHS before starting his writing career, had the opportunity to closely observe the characters lives, which would be the subject of his works in the hospital where he worked. Based on the lives of Henry Gustav Molaison and Clive Wearing, both of whom have long-term memory problems Before I Go to Sleep was published in 2011. Molaison and Wearings years of illness had a profound effect on Watson. Similarly, Christine, the novels protagonist, also suffers from Molaison and Wearing syndrome. Waking up every morning with a new identity, Christine tries to make sense of what is happening around her until she falls asleep again. The forgetfulness she experiences alienates her from everything. Given that similar circumstances exist in real life, Watson aims to show the reader the effect of memory on identity through Christine. Studies on memory always play an essential role in fiction. Many literary texts concentrate on how characters remember their past and how this memory triggers the construction of their identity. In other words, many texts serve as representations of individual memories. While memories form ones identity, amnesia leads to a new identity, life, personality and darkness. Therefore, for fiction writers, amnesia is a tool that emphasizes the relationship between identity and memory. Based on these facts, this study will focus on Christine, who wakes up every morning as a new person and will seek the answer to whether identity can be constructed without memory.

 Steve J. Watson was born in England in 1971. Watson, who worked as an audiologist in the NHS before starting his writing career, had the opportunity to closely observe the characters lives, which would be the subject of his works in the hospital where he worked. Based on the lives of Henry Gustav Molaison and Clive Wearing, both of whom have long-term memory problems Before I Go to Sleep was published in 2011. Molaison and Wearings years of illness had a profound effect on Watson. Similarly, Christine, the novels protagonist, also suffers from Molaison and Wearing syndrome. Waking up every morning with a new identity, Christine tries to make sense of what is happening around her until she falls asleep again. The forgetfulness she experiences alienates her from everything. Given that similar circumstances exist in real life, Watson aims to show the reader the effect of memory on identity through Christine. Studies on memory always play an essential role in fiction. Many literary texts concentrate on how characters remember their past and how this memory triggers the construction of their identity. In other words, many texts serve as representations of individual memories. While memories form ones identity, amnesia leads to a new identity, life, personality and darkness. Therefore, for fiction writers, amnesia is a tool that emphasizes the relationship between identity and memory. Based on these facts, this study will focus on Christine, who wakes up every morning as a new person and will seek the answer to whether identity can be constructed without memory.

 Steve J. Watson 1971 yılında İngilterede dünyaya gelir. Yazarlık kariyerine başlamadan önce NHSde odyolog olarak çalışan Watson, eserlerine konu edeceği karakterlerin yaşamlarını çalıştığı hastanede yakından izleme fırsatını yakalar. 2011 yılında yayınladığı Before I Go to Sleep romanı da uzun süre hafıza problemleri yaşayan Henry Gustav Molaison ve Clive Wearingin hayatlarından kesitler taşır. Molaison ve Wearingin yıllarca süren hastalık durumu Watsonı derinden etkiler. Benzer bir şekilde, romanın başkarakteri Christine de Molaison ve Wearing sendromu yaşamaktadır. Her sabah yeni bir kimlikle güne uyanan Christine, tekrar uyuyana kadar etrafında olan bitenleri anlamlandırmaya çalışır. Yaşamış olduğu unutkanlık, onu her şeye yabancılaştırır. Gerçek hayatta da benzer durumların yaşanılmasından yola çıkan Watson, Christine üzerinden okura belleğin kimlik üzerindeki etkisini göstermeyi amaçlar. Bellek üzerine yapılan çalışmalar kurguda her zaman önemli bir rol oynar. Edebi metinlerin çoğu, karakterlerin geçmişlerini nasıl hatırladıklarına ve hatırlamanın kimliklerinin inşasını nasıl başlattığına odaklanır. Başka bir deyişle, birçok metin bireysel anıların temsili olarak hizmet eder. Anılar kişinin kimliğini oluştururken, hafıza kaybı yeni bir kimliğe, yeni bir hayata, kişiliğe ve karanlığa neden olur. Bu nedenle kurgu yazarları için amnezi, kimlik ve hafıza arasındaki ilişkiyi vurgulayan bir araçtır. Bu gerçeklerden hareket eden bu çalışma, her sabah yeni bir insan olarak uyanan Christinee odaklanacak ve hafıza olmadan kimliğin inşa edilip edilemeyeceği sorusunun cevabını arayacaktır.

Makale detayları

Erased and Displaced Identities in S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep

Yazarlar:

Yıldırım Özsevgeç

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Dergi:

Edebiyat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi Issue 72, pp.86-94

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001318497

pISSN:

2822-4779

Amnesia

Memory

Identity

S. J. Watson

SocietyAmnezi

Bellek

Kimlik

Toplum

S. J. Watson

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Yıldırım Özsevgeç

Yayıncı: Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar: İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Dergi: Edebiyat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi Issue 72, pp.86-94

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 12/2024

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001318497

pISSN: 2822-4779

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Yıldırım Özsevgeç

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Dergi:

Edebiyat ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi Issue 72, pp.86-94

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001318497

pISSN:

2822-4779