The System of Characters in Nedim’s Diwan

Abstract

The period titled the Tulip Era (1718–1730) of Ottoman history corresponds with the second period of the reign of Sultan Ahmed III. After the Grand Vizier of the period signed the Treaty of Passarowitz on the 21st of July, 1718, which defined the relations between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires, the cold relations between the West and the Ottoman Empire began to warm. The Tulip Period is a historical period when political, economic, and cultural relations between the Ottoman Empire and Europe were shaped and developed. In this period, almost all spheres of life were renewed in accordance with the requirements of time, while classical and traditional values were preserved and innovations in the arts were limited to the borders of traditions. Stability in internal as well as foreign policy is the main character of the period. Turkish art and artistic delight developed further into compliance with Western traditions, while the new Diwan poet Ahmet Nedim became popular.
The study in Nedim's Diwan draws attention to various characters belonging to different clas-ses. Especially in the eulogies and quatrains of the poet, the human characters described in the works are mostly historical personages. Notably, characters depicted within the traditions of Turkish Diwan literature mostly belong to the high hierarchy of society: notables of the palace, officials from the middle class, palace musicians, leaders of religious orders, and poets of the period, which create as a whole and present a rich gallery of characters.