Author(s): Semran CENGZ
This work discusses dystopian properties and criticism of modernism made with aid of these properties in Bilge Karasu 's novel, Gece. Dystopia, which begins to appear in Turkish novels after 1950, has a special place in Gece with respect to both form and content. Karasu gives a work which, instead of describing a dystopia directly, is characterized by a stratified and tortuous language illustrated with images. He makes use of pessimistic and chaotic properties of dystopia to construct a criticism of modernism. Because, in his opinion, it is nothing but modernism itself that creates dystopia with its contradictory values. The modernist state in one hand glorifies but on the other hand keeps individual under strict control of its values and thereby invites dystopia and confiscates the freedom. Karasu, by identifying modernism's power to convert political authority to a hegemony with the “night”, evaluates modern state as a device to oppress individual. The door to dystopia is opened out by the use of night workers as a metaphor. He calls for freedom against specter of modern capitalism which falls on humanity like a night and seems unending. However, the call is not open and direct, yet is made with a innuendoes lying behind symbols
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