Death and Anxiety in Murathan Mungan’s Story “Sır Katibi”

Conference paper > Full Text · 2026

Authors: Fatıma ERTÜRK

Söylem 5. Uluslararası Filoloji Sempozyumu, Türkiye, Isparta, International, Verbal, Full Text, 2026-2026, pp 373-383

Summary

<p class="ql-align-justify">This&nbsp;paper&nbsp;aims&nbsp;to&nbsp;examine&nbsp;Murathan&nbsp;Mungan’s&nbsp;story&nbsp;“Sır&nbsp;Kâtibi”&nbsp;within&nbsp;the&nbsp;framework&nbsp;of&nbsp;Lacan’s&nbsp;“Borromean&nbsp;knots”&nbsp;and&nbsp;Heidegger’s&nbsp;concept&nbsp;of&nbsp;“anxiety.”&nbsp;Centered&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;phenomenon&nbsp;of&nbsp;nothingness&nbsp;after&nbsp;death,&nbsp;this&nbsp;story&nbsp;is&nbsp;built&nbsp;around&nbsp;the&nbsp;fact&nbsp;that&nbsp;people,&nbsp;despite&nbsp;knowing&nbsp;that&nbsp;nothing&nbsp;remains&nbsp;after&nbsp;death,&nbsp;are&nbsp;unable&nbsp;to&nbsp;confront&nbsp;this&nbsp;harsh&nbsp;reality&nbsp;and&nbsp;instead&nbsp;keep&nbsp;it&nbsp;a&nbsp;secret.&nbsp;In&nbsp;the&nbsp;story,&nbsp;people’s&nbsp;tendency&nbsp;to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;a&nbsp;blind&nbsp;eye&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;nothingness&nbsp;beyond&nbsp;death&nbsp;will&nbsp;first&nbsp;be&nbsp;addressed&nbsp;within&nbsp;the&nbsp;context&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;“passion&nbsp;for&nbsp;ignorance”&nbsp;in&nbsp;Lacanian&nbsp;psychoanalysis.&nbsp;In&nbsp;this&nbsp;vein,&nbsp;the&nbsp;story’s&nbsp;conceptual&nbsp;backdrop&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;analyzed&nbsp;through&nbsp;Lacan’s&nbsp;theory&nbsp;of&nbsp;“Borromean&nbsp;knots”.&nbsp;It&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;argued&nbsp;that&nbsp;the&nbsp;unrepresentable&nbsp;and&nbsp;unbearable&nbsp;nature&nbsp;of&nbsp;death&nbsp;corresponds&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;traumatic&nbsp;“Real”;&nbsp;and&nbsp;that&nbsp;the&nbsp;secrets&nbsp;people&nbsp;produce&nbsp;to&nbsp;endure&nbsp;this&nbsp;serve&nbsp;as&nbsp;an&nbsp;“imaginary”&nbsp;shield&nbsp;that&nbsp;covers&nbsp;up&nbsp;and&nbsp;gives&nbsp;meaning&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;aforementioned&nbsp;harsh&nbsp;reality.&nbsp;In&nbsp;addition&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;psychoanalytic&nbsp;reading,&nbsp;the&nbsp;existential&nbsp;turmoil&nbsp;humans&nbsp;experience&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;face&nbsp;of&nbsp;nothingness&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;examined&nbsp;through&nbsp;Heidegger’s&nbsp;concept&nbsp;of&nbsp;“anxiety”.&nbsp;In&nbsp;the&nbsp;story,&nbsp;people’s&nbsp;inability&nbsp;to&nbsp;endure&nbsp;the&nbsp;absolute&nbsp;nothingness&nbsp;following&nbsp;death&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;evaluated&nbsp;through&nbsp;the&nbsp;lens&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;turmoil&nbsp;created&nbsp;by&nbsp;this&nbsp;sense&nbsp;of&nbsp;objectless&nbsp;unease.&nbsp;The&nbsp;efforts&nbsp;to&nbsp;transform&nbsp;this&nbsp;anxiety&nbsp;of&nbsp;nothingness&nbsp;-which&nbsp;is&nbsp;difficult&nbsp;to&nbsp;confront-&nbsp;into&nbsp;a&nbsp;manageable&nbsp;object&nbsp;of&nbsp;fear&nbsp;by&nbsp;turning&nbsp;it&nbsp;into&nbsp;a&nbsp;secret&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;discussed.&nbsp;Consequently,&nbsp;this&nbsp;paper&nbsp;will&nbsp;examine&nbsp;how&nbsp;individuals&nbsp;construct&nbsp;new&nbsp;narratives&nbsp;of&nbsp;meaning&nbsp;and&nbsp;veils&nbsp;of&nbsp;secrecy&nbsp;to&nbsp;cope&nbsp;with&nbsp;existential&nbsp;anxiety&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;horror&nbsp;of&nbsp;nothingness,&nbsp;based&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;reality&nbsp;that&nbsp;humans&nbsp;cannot&nbsp;tolerate&nbsp;the&nbsp;emptiness&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;“bare&nbsp;scenario”&nbsp;brought&nbsp;about&nbsp;by&nbsp;death.&nbsp;The&nbsp;study&nbsp;aims&nbsp;to&nbsp;explore&nbsp;the&nbsp;defense&nbsp;mechanisms&nbsp;underlying&nbsp;this&nbsp;“unbearable”&nbsp;condition&nbsp;expressed&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;story&nbsp;through&nbsp;a&nbsp;text-focused&nbsp;and&nbsp;interdisciplinary&nbsp;approach.</p>

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