Toplumsal Gerçekliği Anlamada Kurgu Metinlerin Güvenirliği
The Reliability of Fictional Texts in Understanding the Social Reality

Summary/Abstract: It is possible to argue that literary works have had vital importance in people’s lives throughout the ages. Subjectivity is thought to be the determining factor in these works since their nature consists of fiction. Based on this approach, the idea that it is difficult to reach objective or scientific inferences through fictional texts is emphasized, and it is highlighted that these texts may have problems in terms of reliability in reflecting social reality. In the context of this idea, it is argued that it is not possible for the fictional texts to be included in the rational epistemology of the sciences since they include too much subjective feelings and fictive images. In this study, while the backbone of the fiction-reality distinction which forms the basis of this idea is discussed, the problematic aspects of making this kind of sharp distinction are pointed out. In this respect, the novel as a literary genre is determined as the starting point in terms of exemplifying fictional texts. Therefore, starting from the novel, the possibilities of reaching social reality through fictional texts are tried to be investigated by referring to the concepts, perspectivism and relativism.

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