THE DILEMMA OF THE GAZE IN ANGELA CARTER‟S NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS AND ELİF ŞAFAK‟S MAHREM (THE GAZE) A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY YILDIZ SİNEM PİRİNÇCİ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE PROGRAM OF GENDER AND WOMEN‟S STUDIES SEPTEMBER 2011 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences ___________________ Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. ___________________ Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. ___________________ ___________________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Nil Korkut Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit Co-Supervisor Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit (METU, SOC) _______________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Nil Korkut (BAŞKENT U., AMER) _______________ Prof. Dr. Meral Çileli (METU, FLE) _______________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Canan Aslan Akman (METU, ADM) _______________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Dürrin Alpakın Martinez-Caro (METU, FLE) _______________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Yıldız Sinem Pirinçci Signature: iii ABSTRACT THE DILEMMA OF THE GAZE IN ANGELA CARTER‟S NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS AND ELİF ŞAFAK‟S MAHREM (THE GAZE) Pirinçci, Yıldız Sinem M.S., Department of Gender and Women‟s Studies Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit Co-Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Nil Korkut October 2011, 74 pages This thesis analyzes and compares Angela Carter‟s Nights at the Circus and Elif Şafak‟s Mahrem (The Gaze) from the perspective of theories of the patriarchal gaze. The study argues that the female protagonists in Nights at the Circus and Mahrem (The Gaze) have a dilemma in relation to the gaze. On the one hand, the gaze makes these characters passive spectacles in front of the audience and objectifies them. On the other hand, the gaze appears to be a necessity for a sense of identity and order. The theoretical framework used to analyze the novels from the perspective of the patriarchal gaze includes John Berger‟s Ways of Seeing, which is about visual representations in Western art and Laura Mulvey‟s article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, which analyzes women‟s position in Hollywood movies. In order to explore the dilemma the protagonists find themselves in, on the other hand, Sigmund Freud‟s theory of scopophilia, Jacques Lacan‟s discussion of iv the role of the gaze in psychosexual development and identity formation and Michél Foucault‟s evaluation of the gaze as a tool for discipline have been made use of. The comparative analysis of the two novels within this theoretical framework aims to demonstrate the complexity and universality of the issue and provide further food for thought for feminist thinking on this topic. Key words: Gaze, Patriarchy, Objectification, Angela Carter, Elif Şafak v ÖZ ANGELA CARTER‟IN NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS VE ELİF ŞAFAK‟IN MAHREM ROMANLARINDA BAKIŞ İKİLEMİ Pirinçci, Yıldız Sinem Yüksek Lisans, Kadın Çalışmaları Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit Ortak Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Nil Korkut Eylül 2011, 74 sayfa Bu çalışmada Angela Carter‟ın Nights at the Circus romanıyla Elif Şafak‟ın Mahrem romanı ataerkil bakış açısından ele alınmakta ve karşılaştırılmaktadır. Çalışmada, Nights at the Circus ve Mahrem romanlarındaki kadın başkarakterlerin ciddi bir bakış ikilemi içerisinde olduğu savunulmaktadır. Bir yanda ataerkil bakış onları seyirci önünde edilgen bir nesne haline getirirken, diğer yanda aynı bakış, bu karakterlerin benlik bilinci ve toplumsal düzen duygusu için gerekli hale gelmektedir. Romanları ataerkil bakış kuramları açısından incelemek için kullanılan kuramsal çerçeve, John Berger‟ın Ways of Seeing başlıklı eseri ve Laura Mulvey‟nin “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” adlı makalesinden oluşmaktadır. Baş karakterlerin içine düştüğü ikilemi incelemek için ise, Sigmund Freud‟un “scopophilia” (bakmanın verdiği haz) kuramı, Jacques Lacan‟ın benlik oluşumu ve bakış ilişkisi ve Michél Foucault‟nun bakış ve toplumsal disiplin ilişkisi kuramları vi kullanılmıştır. Bu kuramsal çerçevede yapılan karşılaştırmalı çalışma, bakış konusunun karmaşıklığına ve evrenselliğine dikkat çekmeyi ve feminist düşüncenin bu konuya yaklaşımına katkıda bulunmayı hedeflemektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Bakış, Ataerkil Düzen, Nesneleştirme, Angela Carter, Elif Şafak vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit who has supported me since I first came to METU. By introducing me to “feminism”, she gave me a different lens in Gender and Women‟s Studies. She has been so kind and lovely throughout. Whenever I talked to her, she made me feel happy. Prof. Dr. Meral Çileli, Assist. Prof. Dr. Dürrin Alpakın Martinez-Caro, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Canan Aslan Akman have all read and examined this study and helped me with their constructive criticisms. I would like to express my gratitude to them for their contributions to my academic life. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ecevit, Assist. Prof. Dr. Armağan Erdoğan, and Prof. Dr. Şebnem Akipek Öcal for their suggestions and different perspectives. Many thanks to my dedicated friends Aslı Onay and Sema Küçüksucu who shared the misfortune of putting up with me at my hardest times for more than ten years. My lovely friends Ezgi Uzun and Gonca Gültekin listened to me with their endless support and patience. Their surprises and messages relieved my mind. Also, I owe Derya Horasan and Neslihan Tosun many thanks for standing by me since we first met in high school. viii Buğra Ahlatcı, Elif Önal, Hatice Aydeniz, Mert Can Erdem, Mert Koral, Nazlıhan Ertuğrul, Nilüfer Kale, Renaissance Team- Merve Aydoğdu, Yasemin Ünal, Rızkan Tok-, Serhat Naykı, Sevgi Şahin, Soner Akın, Women‟s Studies Staff, and Yıldız Dirmit have made me feel their support throughout this study. I would like to express my gratitude to my parents Alev-Bülent Pirinçci and grandparents Birgül-Fuat Önder without whom I would not have become the person I am. They have always supported me. I would especially like to thank Assist. Prof. Dr. Nil Korkut for her endless tolerance, lovely guidance, invaluable help, consistent interest, loyal friendship, polite comments, encouraging attitudes, and indispensible support. She has been not only my supervisor but a friend and a role model for seven years. It is a big chance to meet and study with her. I have always admired her hard work, discipline, and sincerity. My words are not able to describe her position both in my mind and my heart. She has been always with me so I am thankful for her existence in my life. I dedicate this thesis to her. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... iv ÖZ.............................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... 1 2. FEMINIST AND OTHER THEORIES OF THE GAZE ............................. 5 2.1 Feminist Approaches to the Gaze............................................................. 6 2.2 Psychological and Cultural Accounts of the Gaze................................... 13 3. THE DILEMMA OF THE GAZE IN ANGELA CARTER‟S NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS............................................................................ 20 3.1 The Protagonist as Spectacle in Nights at the Circus..............................23 3.2 The Dilemma of the Protagonist in Relation to the Gaze....................... 35 4. THE DILEMMA OF THE GAZE IN ELİF ŞAFAK‟S MAHREM (THE GAZE)................................................................................ 44 4.1 The Protagonist as Spectacle in Mahrem (The Gaze)............................. 46 4.2 The Dilemma of the Protagonist in Relation to the Gaze....................... 57 5. CONCLUSION............................................................................................. 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................73 x