Abstract:

The origins of Ottoman reforms date back to before the Decree of Giilhane of 1839. Although European influence began to be felt in the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century, it was largely confined to reforms in the military sphere and to a certain degree, to rococo influences on the visual arts. From 1839, "Europeanisation" became an official policy in all spheres of life, and European influences became evident in Ottoman literature. Let us portray the view of Turkish literature in the first half of nineteenth century. European influence is not particularly evident in the literature of the first half of the nineteenth century where traditional literary forms and vocabulary are still preserved, nevertheless, the content of poetry at least does show a shift towards personal concerns a reflection perhaps of the contemporary romantic movement in Europe. An example of this type of verse is Akif Pasha's (1787-1845) "Adem Kasidesi". In form it follows the pattern of the traditional kaside: it is long monorhyming poem in recez metre. However, it is not a eulogy, and so lacks the traditional divisions of nesib, girizgah, meclhiye, fahriyye, du'a . In the first couplet of the poem, a longing for death is told; in the second hemistich annihilation becomes the substance of life: …

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