Orientalism and the Middle East: Representations of the Ottoman Empire in Fantasy Writing.

Orientalism and the Middle East: Representations of the Ottoman Empire in Fantasy Writing.

This project will include 80,000 words of an adventure fantasy novel set in a re-imagined post-Ottoman world. The accompanying 20,000-word critical essay will examine the uses of speculative fiction as a site to compare theories of Orientalism with representations of the Ottoman Empire, Middle Eastern and Turkish women.

The novel Nazar begins just after the fall of the Ruuh Empire, with an unsteady Republican government fighting to establish itself as the new global ruler. Following a government crackdown, protagonist Katsa, captain of a smuggling train, journeys to lawless lands in search of work.

Loyal servants of the old empire are determined to restore it with help from Erlik, the king of hell. They plot to use Katsa's unique ability for self-resurrection to open hell's door and free Erlik. Katsa must find a way to stop the rise of Erlik - while keeping her crew afloat.

Research questions include: what impact does Orientalism have on representations of the Ottoman Empire in speculative fiction? In which ways are female characters written by Arab and Turkish authors in friction with European stereotypes and preconceptions? How can the fantasy genre be used as a platform for complex portrayals of Ottoman and post-Ottoman cultures?

My critical thesis will investigate under-researched perspectives from the Ottoman Empire and the early Republic of Turkiye on Orientalism. I will examine how theories in Edward Said's foundational work Orientalism can be expanded by Turkish discourses from 1872-1932, recently compiled in Zeynep Çelik's Europe Knows Nothing About the Orient.

My analysis of how female characters are portrayed in Middle Eastern and desert fantasy novels will centre on recently published works by female Turkish and Middle Eastern authors Elif Shafak, Hadeer Elsbai and Saara El-Arifi. My creative component shares thematic concerns with family, gender and power explored by these contemporary novelists.

Considerations of how the Middle East is represented in classic speculative fiction, including the Corrino Empire in Dune and the Easterlings in The Lord of the Rings, will inform how the villain of my novel engages with the trope of 'the other'. The magical system in Nazar will be developed by examining how systems in novels such as The Final Strife affect the agency of female characters.

I will analyse the inventiveness and cultural significance of stories from the rich mythopoetic tradition of the Middle East, including tales from One Thousand and One Nights. My intent is to design characters inspired by existing myth and folklore to explore themes of identity and preservation in my creative component.