A Distant Reading of the Ottoman/Turkish Serial Novel Tradition (1831–1908)

Abstract

The emergence and spread of the Turkish press and the birth of the Ottoman Turkish novel occurred simultaneously in the Ottoman Empire, when the press and the novel largely sustained each other. Most of the early Turkish novels were serialized in periodicals in order to raise their circulation, while newspapers and magazines seemed to be the most proper means for introducing the new genre to the readers. This symbiotic relationship of the press and the novel marks the formation of the Ottoman/Turkish serial novel tradition. This chapter uses data from the research project “History of Serial Novels in Turkish Literature (1831–1928),” which assessed 290 newspapers and journals published between 1831 and 1928 in Arabic script. It analyzes the occurrence of translated and original novels serialized in newspapers between 1860 and 1908. Taking a “distant reading” approach and sampling 140 periodicals, the chapter specifies how many periodicals serialized novels, the number of translated and original serialized novels, and the distribution of these data in terms of years, writers, and periodicals.

Appendix: Chronological List of Examined Periodicals

Time period	Name of the periodical
1831–1922	Takvim-i Vekâyi
1840–1884	Ceride-i Havadis
1860–1866	Tercüman-ı Ahval
1862–1871	Tasvir-i Efkâr
1867–1867	Muhbir
1867–1869	İstanbul
1869–1869	Muhib
1868–1868	Hürriyet/Hurriyete/La liberte
1868–1868	Etfal
1868–1871	Terakki
1869–1870	Mümeyyiz
1869–1870	Terakki/Terakki-i Muhadderat
1870–1870	Terakki Eğlencesi
1870–1872	Letaif-i Asar
1870–1873	Hakâyıku’l Vekâyi
1870–1873	Diyojen
1870–1874	Hadika
1870–1908	Basiret
1872–1872	Bedir/Devir
1872–1873	Dağarcık
1872–1873	İbret
1873–1873	Sirac
1873–1874	Dolap
1873–1875	Şark
1873–1877	Hayal
1873–1911	Rumeli/Zaman
1874–1877	Latife
1874–1877	Mecmua-i Maarif
1875–1875	Meddah
1875–1875	Sadakat
1875–1875	Kahkaha
1875–1876	Ayine
1875–1876	Kırk Ambar
1875–1877	İstikbal
1875–1883	Vakit
1876–1877	Hakikat
1876–1876	Sabah
1876–1877	İttihad
1876–1877	Arkadaş
1877–1877	Osmanlı
1877–1878	İzmir
1878–1878	Tercüman-ı Şark
1878–1913	Tercüman-ı Hakikat
1879–1879	Bahariye-i Edebiyat
1879–1881	İstikbal
1880–1897	Mecmua-i Ebüzziya
1881–1882	Çocuklara Arkadaş
1881–1882	Çocuklara Kıraat
1881–1882	Hafta
1881–1884	İntibah
1881–1886	Hazine-i Evrak
1882–1887	Mirat-ı Âlem
1883–1883	Mezra-i Maarif
1883–1884	Gonca-i Edeb
1883–1885	Hilal
1883–1887	Mecmua-i Asar
1884–1889	Tarik
1885–1889	Saadet
1886–1886	Gülşen
1886–1886	Güneş
1886–1886	Gayret
1886–1886	Hamiyyet
1886–1887	Ceride-i Hakayık
1886–1887	Nahid
1886–1890	Mizan
1886–1891	Nilüfer
1886–1926	Hizmet
1887–1887	Manzara
1887–1888	Teavün-i Aklam
1887–1888	Umran
1887–1890	Mürüvvet
1888–1889	Servet
1889–1922	Sabah/Peyam-ı Sabah
1890–1890	Zuhur
1890–1904	Servet
1891–1891	Mirsad
1891–1892	Musavver Cihan
1891–1895	Mekteb
1891–1896	Maarif
1891–1928	Servet-i Fünun
1893–1896	Hazine-i Fünun
1894–1895	Malumat
1894–1928	İkdam
1895–1904	Malumat
1895–1908	Hanımlara Mahsus Gazete
1895–1908	Meşveret
1895–1925	Yeni Asır
1896–1897	Hamiyyet
1896–1897	Hürriyet
1896–1898	Mütalaa
1896–1899	Resimli Gazete
1896–1905	İzmir
1896–1908	Çocuklara Mahsus Gazete
1896–1911	İştirak
1897–1897	Mizan
1898–1898	Marifet
1898–1899	Muktebes
1898–1900	Çocuklara Rehber
1899–1900	Mecmua-i Lisan
1899–1902	Mecmua-yı Edebiye
1899–1904	İrtika
1899–1904	Musavver Fen Edebiyat
1900–1901	İntikam
1901–1901	Züğürt
1902–1910	Şura-yı Ümmet
1905–1910	Çocuk Bahçesi
1906–1914	Molla Nasreddin
1907–1908	Haftalık Serbest İzmir
1908–1908	Boşboğaz ile Güllabi
1908–1908	Musavver Geveze
1908–1908	İttihad ve Terakki
1908–1908	Hürriyet
1908–1908	Feyz-i Hürriyet
1908–1908	Meram
1908–1908	İstişare
1908–1908	Millet
1908–1908	Cingöz
1908–1909	Mikyas-ı Şeriat
1908–1909	İnsaf
1908–1909	Aşiyan
1908–1909	Volkan
1908–1909	Mektebli
1908–1909	Mahasin
1908–1909	Gencine-i Edeb
1908–1909	Kadın
1908–1909	Musavver Muhit
1908–1909	Ceride
1908–1909	Davul
1908–1909	Mekarimül Ahlak
1908–1909	Yıldız
1908–1911	İttihad
1908–1911	Beyanül’l Hak
1908–1911	Kalem
1908–1913	Resimli Kitap
1908–1914	Şura
1908–1915	Sırat-ı Müstakim/Sebil’ül Reşad
1908–1919	Yeni Gazete
1908–1919	Serbesti
1908–1925	Tanin
1908–1928	Karagöz