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Dual Narratives and Multiple Points of View in Ali Smith’s How To Be Both

Year 2019, Vol 18 IDEA Special Issue, 113 - 121, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.598968

Abstract

Ali Smith’s How to Be Both (2014) provides the reader with a unique reading experience through two interconnected narratives. The novel has two separate editions with the same words and the same cover; the only difference between these editions is the order of the sections it contains. Hence, the text challenges the reader’s comprehension and perception. Fluidity and simultaneity, which are indicated in the title of the novel is the focal
point of this study. Throughout the novel, fiction and non-fiction, past and present, art and life, living human
beings and ghosts, creation and destruction, eyes and camera intertwine. The aim of this article is to examine the
narrative devices employed in this novel, whilst displaying the presentation of the characters in these interwoven
stories. While discussing the structure of the novel as well as the relationship between the main characters (one
of which is a Renaissance painter, whereas the other is a modern adolescent girl), theories on seeing, gaze, visibility and perception - with reference to Michel Foucault, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and John Berger - are employed. This study examines the relationship between seeing and the mind, the communication between perception and prejudice, and the reflection of concepts such as point of view and perspective in visual arts and literature. The analysis of certain incidents, characters and notions via close reading of the text makes it possible to
consider concepts such as seeing, comprehension and point of view in light of both Renaissance and contemporary theories. 


References

  • Belting, H. (2011). Florence renaissance art and Arab science & Baghdad. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University press.
  • Berger, J. (1972). Ways of seeing. London: Penguin Books.
  • Crossley, N. (1993). The politics of the gaze: between Foucault and Merleau-Ponty. Human Studies, 16 (4), 399-419.
  • Daigle, C. (2016). The place of green possibles: Ali Smith’s How to be both. Figuringfiction.net. Retrieved 4 August from https://figuringfiction.net/2016/08/04/the-place-ofgreen- possibles-ali-smiths-how-to-be-both-pt-1/.
  • Jonson, B. (1756). The English grammar. The works of Ben Jonson, volume the seventh. London: D. Midwinter, 206-289.
  • Lacan, J. (1998). The four fundamental concepts of psycho-analysis. London: Vintage.
  • Lewis, C. L. (2019). Beholding: visuality and postcritical reading in Ali Smith’s How to be both. Journal Of Modern Literature 42 (3), 129-150.
  • Masters, T. (2015). Q & A: Baileys prize-winner Ali Smith on How to be both. Retrieved
  • June 4 from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32995250.
  • Merleau-Ponty, M. (1964). “Eye and mind,” (C. Dallery, trans.) The primacy of perception and other essays on phenomenological psychology, the philosophy of art, history and politics. (James M. Edie, ed.). Illinois: Northwestern University press.
  • Smith, A. (2015). How to be both. London: Penguin books.
  • Weaver, M. (2018). Reading words alongside images: Ali Smith and visual portraiture. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, 20 (4). Penn State University press, 527-548.

Ali Smith’in How To Be Both Romanında İkili Anlatı ve Çoğul Bakış Açıları

Year 2019, Vol 18 IDEA Special Issue, 113 - 121, 31.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.598968

Abstract










Ali Smith’in 2014 tarihli How to Be Both adlı romanı iç içe geçmiş iki anlatı aracılığı ile okura benzersiz bir
okuma deneyimi sunmakta. Aynı sözcükler ve aynı kapak tasarımıyla yayınlanan ancak bölümlerin sırasının
farklı sunulduğu iki ayrı baskısı bulunan roman, bu yönüyle okurun algısıyla oynamakta. Roman boyunca kurmaca ile gerçek, geçmiş ile şimdi, sanat ile yaşam, yaşayan insanlar ile hayaletler, yaratma ile yıkım, gözler ile
kameralar iç içe geçmekte. Romanın adında da görülen ve tüm metne egemen olan akışkanlık ve eş zamanlılık,
bu çalışmanın odak noktasını oluşturmakta. Bu makalenin amacı, birbirinin içine geçmiş bu anlatılardaki karakterlerin resmediliş biçimlerini incelerken, bu deneysel romanda kullanılan anlatı yöntemlerini de tartışmaktır.
Biri Rönesans dönemi ressamı, diğeri günümüzde yaşayan genç bir kız olan iki ana karakterin birbirleriyle
ilişkilerinin irdelenmesiyle beraber romanın yapısının incelenmesi sürecinde Michel Foucault, Maurice MerleauPonty ve John Berger gibi kuramcılara gönderme yapılarak görme, bakış, görünürlük ve algılama kuramlarına
başvurulmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma görmenin beden ve zihinle ilişkisini, algının ön yargıyla iletişimini
ve bakış açısı ile perspektif gibi kavramların resim ve edebiyattaki yansımalarını Smith’in romanından örnekler
aracılığı ile tartışmaktadır. Romanda yer alan kimi olay, karakter ve olgunun yakın okuma tekniğiyle çözümlenmesi, metnin yapısına ve içeriğine hakim olan görme, algılama ve bakış açısı gibi kavramların hem Rönesans
hem günümüz kuramları ışığında düşünülmesini mümkün kılmaktadır. 

References

  • Belting, H. (2011). Florence renaissance art and Arab science & Baghdad. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University press.
  • Berger, J. (1972). Ways of seeing. London: Penguin Books.
  • Crossley, N. (1993). The politics of the gaze: between Foucault and Merleau-Ponty. Human Studies, 16 (4), 399-419.
  • Daigle, C. (2016). The place of green possibles: Ali Smith’s How to be both. Figuringfiction.net. Retrieved 4 August from https://figuringfiction.net/2016/08/04/the-place-ofgreen- possibles-ali-smiths-how-to-be-both-pt-1/.
  • Jonson, B. (1756). The English grammar. The works of Ben Jonson, volume the seventh. London: D. Midwinter, 206-289.
  • Lacan, J. (1998). The four fundamental concepts of psycho-analysis. London: Vintage.
  • Lewis, C. L. (2019). Beholding: visuality and postcritical reading in Ali Smith’s How to be both. Journal Of Modern Literature 42 (3), 129-150.
  • Masters, T. (2015). Q & A: Baileys prize-winner Ali Smith on How to be both. Retrieved
  • June 4 from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32995250.
  • Merleau-Ponty, M. (1964). “Eye and mind,” (C. Dallery, trans.) The primacy of perception and other essays on phenomenological psychology, the philosophy of art, history and politics. (James M. Edie, ed.). Illinois: Northwestern University press.
  • Smith, A. (2015). How to be both. London: Penguin books.
  • Weaver, M. (2018). Reading words alongside images: Ali Smith and visual portraiture. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, 20 (4). Penn State University press, 527-548.
There are 12 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Creative Arts and Writing
Journal Section English Language and Literature
Authors

Fatma Zeynep Bilge 0000-0002-6217-8280

Publication Date December 31, 2019
Submission Date July 30, 2019
Acceptance Date November 1, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Vol 18 IDEA Special Issue

Cite

APA Bilge, F. Z. (2019). Dual Narratives and Multiple Points of View in Ali Smith’s How To Be Both. Gaziantep Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 18, 113-121. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.598968