Plot-building motifs in turkish urban fantasy (as exemplified by Sadik Yemni's novel, Solvent)

Abstract

The paper looks at Solvent (2003), a novel by the prominent modern science fiction author Sadik Yemni, to study the predominant motifs of Turkish urban fantasy. We prove that the motifs of dual worlds, dreams and hallucinations, fall from grace, punishment, a quest-like journey, and mysteries and secret organizations are central not just to this particular novel's plot but also to the entire urban fantasy sub-genre. The latter assumption is highly relevant, because it facilitates the review of features typical of the aforementioned sub-genre in Turkish literature, which remains almost entirely unstudied by either Russian or foreign literature scholars. We also highlight the eclectic nature of urban fantasy, which incorporates the features of conspiracy novels and philosophical novels, thus reflecting the postmodern synthesis of genres and genre forms. The eclectic nature of urban fantasy allows for, on the one hand, studying it as a meta-genre, and on the other, talking about the emergence of a new type of entertainment-focused popular literature, where the fantastical situation is interlaced with existential and ontological messages. Our hypothesis is that the genesis of urban fantasy entails expanding and elaborating on the moral and psychological aspects (humankind's place in the world, faithfulness to moral guidelines).