İlk Amerikan romanlarında etik ve ahlaki kaygular

Abstract

98 S.SUMMARY The early novel doesn't take an important place in the literary history of America. So it is not surprising to have limited knowledge about the early examples such as The Power of Sympathy, The Coquette, and Charlotte Temple and Lucy Temple. These novels are touched only with a few words in the anthologies. In this study, we tried to give some information about the early examples of American Novel. In preparing this dissertation, the following points were kept in eye. First, a brief account of the rise of novel in England was given. In the introduction, the social, political and the cultural changes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in America were examined. The general features of American society were presented in general terms. The above mentioned novels were introduced in respect of their plots, characters and settings in detail. Under the title of `Women-Morality`, women were examined from the viewpoints of men and men from the viewpoints of women. When evaluated from the clues in these novels, it will be seen that these novels were written in order to instruct and give moral lessons to the reader and as in moral fables didacticism is an indispensable part of them. It was decided that American society respected well-educated, virtuous and religious women as a result primarily of puritanical codes. On the other hand, the influence of Independence Declaration and the outcome of this event on the relationship between men- women were examined. In addition, Republican virtue as percieved by society and the portrait of Republican and virtuous wife was drawn. Under the next subtitle the political and social results of the probable incest in the novels were analysed. As a result, it can be said that as far as the novels we studied are concerned - The Power of Sympathy, The Coquette, and Charlotte Temple and Lucy Temple - the focus is on giving ethical and moral messages to the reader, to the society and particularly to women. And it cannot be undermined that these novels are didactic and sentimental.