Two-world Nature of Sibel Atasoy's Fantasy

Abstract

Modern Turkish mass literature is extremely diverse. Fiction has taken a special place among the popular genres in 2000. Fiction, in turn, is largely defined by the genre of fantasy, which has become a mainstream one. Genre forms classification of Turkish fantasy is still in its formative stages. However, three sub-genres of fantasy are clearly present in Turkish literature. These are sword and sorcery fantasy, urban fantasy and dark fantasy. Each of these genres blends two worlds - the real one and the magic one - mixing two together and splitting the timeline of the work, causing the reader to doubt the reality of the events. In the sword and sorcery fantasy, the magical events appear mostly in the background of the Middle Ages, whereas in the urban and dark fantasy, modern times become the main setting, making it more multilayered and colourful. In Sibel Atasoy's novel The Grinning Red Moon (2000), the two-world nature of fantasy literature can be observed at all levels of a fiction text, presented as a monologue of the protagonist. Her monologue narration often disrupts time and space layers, aiming to better represent the character of a woman narrator who was also split into two. The protagonist's narrative clearly shows how her past and present are intertwined, how they become equal, and how the past finally replaces the present. The past and the present protagonists are two very distinct people in terms of psychology, trying to find contact with each other