Analysis of Cenap Şahabettin's European Letters in the Context of Geography and Literature Disciplines

Abstract

Geography is a discipline that deals with the relationship between human - nature and human - space. For this reason, human beings have aimed to explore the world from ancient times to the present and have carried out travelling, seeing and getting to know activities in this direction. In this respect, his travel writings are among the remarkable works. In this research, the notes taken by Cenap Şahabettin, one of the important physicians, writers, poets and journalists of the Ottoman period, while traveling in non-Ottoman European lands (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany and the Netherlands) were discussed. Cenap Şahabettin published his observations and studies obtained during his trips between 1917 and 1918, in the form of a letter (travel note) every week in the Tasviri Efkâr newspaper under the name "European Letters". It is especially important to compare Europe and the Ottoman Empire in terms of population, settlement, urbanization, industry, agriculture and physical geography. Cenap Şahabettin's observations provide important information in terms of comparing Europe's past and present. This research, in which Cenap Şahabettin's European Letters was discussed in the context of geography and literature disciplines, was carried out with the document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods. The work was examined in detail and subjected to content analysis, codes and categories were created and presented in tables. According to the results obtained from the research, Cenap Şahabettin's "European Letters" is a source that sheds light on the past of Europe, used simply in literary terms, and contributes to getting to know the geography of Europe. When we look at the geographical concepts identified in the work, it is seen that words and concepts from the human, physical, economic and regional sub-branches of geography have a recurring structure at different frequencies. Among these, the concepts of German (Germanic), Germany, city, Vienna, village, Bulgarian, Danube, Romania, economy, land, agriculture and farmer (farmer) come to the fore at the highest rate. This modern travel article has literally taken a photograph of Europe a century ago and is recommended as a reference work in Geography and Literature courses in terms of knowing and understanding the geography of Europe, as it constitutes an important source for comparing Europe with today.