Literature of Manners during the Single Party Period in Turkey (1930-1939)
In this article, the books of good manners printed in Turkey between 1930-1939 are revieved. First of all, the main problematics that can be brought to the agenda around the etiquette books are listed and the main questions that can be asked within this framework are exemplified. In this section, it’s also mentioned the possible theoretical frameworks that can be used in evaluating this literature. Through this section, it has been tried to demonstrate that the etiquette literature opens up a wide range of research opportunities. Then the main characteristics of the books of good manners were introduced and the books are grouped in terms of their general characteristics. Within the framework there are two main groups: ‘The books of ideals’ emphasizing discipline in public life, not mentioning ambiguous points in the rules, leaving no room for the real possibilities brought by life and using an instructive or imperative style and ‘the books of experience’, still targeting a middle class audience, focusing on the usual activities of daily life, but touching on the controversial points in the rules and the real problems and inconveniences that can be encountered in daily life and speaking in a friendly manner with the reader. As a result, it was emphasized that the basic line that separates the understanding of manners in the early republic period was formality and a complete control, as well as the perfect self-discipline. It has been found that these books may affect not large segments of the population, but they influenced the urban middle classes. Thus, the books emphasize a simple lifestyle specific to the middle class rather than a fine living style based on aristocratic privileges or combined with snobbery. In the appendix at the end of the article, it’s included the "contents" of the books of manners.
Tülin Ural
