Ömer Seyfettin’in "Bahar ve Kelebekler"i ile Maupassant'ın "Jadis" Öyküleri arasında bir karşılaştırma

Abstract

Similarities between “Bahar ve Kelebekler” by Ömer Seyfettin and “Jadis” by Maupassant are obvious. First of all, the way the plot develops and some formal traits in “Bahar ve Kelebekler” evoke “Jadis”. Second, the two stories are similar in that they both deal with generational conflicts, in the center of which is woman. However, the differences between the historical and social contexts of the French and Ottoman societies, in which the stories take place, lead them to have different subjects. In “Jadis”, the changes between the aristocratic woman of the French Ancien Régime in the 18th century and the bourgeois woman of the late 19th century is treated, while in “Bahar ve Kelebekler”, the traditional Ottoman woman confront the woman changed under the influence of Westernization. Thus, although their themes seem to be common, the short stories diverge from each other in terms of their significance. This article will elaborate upon that latter point.