A Study of the Sociology of Literature: Beggary in Fictional Texts, Essays and Memoirs in Turkish Literature

Abstract

This study investigates beggary and begging as an activity, which have been despised and insulted by public most of the time, within the context of sociology of literature, fictional texts, essays and memoirs that constitute an important part of Turkish literature. Beggary is an engagement that falls short of gaining acceptance by public almost in every society. Having a social reality, this engagement has inevitably found its place in literature. Thus, begging as an activity displays a quality that is worth examining in terms of sociology of literature. First of all, how past societies considered beggars and begging as an activity has been introduced from a historical perspective in order to shed light upon the ground of this work and properties of the area of examination; and afterwards Ottoman Empire's struggle against begging classes as well as Ottoman regulations regarding them are presented. Literary texts of Turkish literature that make up the center line of the subject matter have been examined and evaluated in terms of sociology of literature.