Charles Chesnutt’ın The Conjure Woman ve The Marrow of Tradition’ında Hümanizme Karşı Hayvan

Özet

Charles Chesnutt’ın kurmaca edebiyatı, hiç sorgulanmadan onun aydınlanmacı-hümanist politik görüşleri çerçevesinde değerlendirilip analiz edilebilir. Chesnutt’un bu politik görüşlere sahip olmasına karşın onun The Conjure Woman ve The Marrow of Tradition eserleri 20. yüzyıl ABD’sindeki ırksal adaletsizliği ele alır ve bu sırada hayvan mefhumunun kitaptaki kullanımı hümanist bakış açılarına ve stratejilere karşı beklenmedik bir eleştiri alanının kapısını aralar. İnsanların kendi ırklarını ve kişiliklerini değerlendirmelerine yönelik son zamanlarda yapılan tenkitler göz önüne alındığında onun bu eseri, günümüzdeki literatürde öne çıkan beyaz olmayanları aşağılayan “insanlık-dışı” aydınlanmacı-hümanist tipik anlayışları açık bir şekilde sorgulayan hayvan-odaklı telakkiler ışığında yeni bir perspektifle değerlendirilebilir. Bu açıdan makalemde, Chesnutt’ın eserlerinde hayvanların kurgusal kullanımı ile etkisini yitirmiş aydınlanmacı-hümanist ideallerden ziyade beyaz ırkın somut çıkarlarını ortaya koyan ve bunlara yanıt verilmesini teşvik eden bir meydan okuma zeminini ortaya koyduğunu iddia ediyorum.

Referanslar

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