The most ancient question that human beings began to think about as soon as they became aware of themselves and their surroundings arises in the process of the existence of the universe and their own species. In other words, we know that people living centuries ago were also curious about the answer to the question “Where did we come from and where are we going?”, which is also the starting point of philosophy. As a matter of fact, every nation has added the story of the emergence of the universe and humankind to its own historical processes with legends and myths that they created with their own symbolic tools. However, the changing age, the technology brought about by the ages, the mind structures shaped by these technologies and the new world order created by them cause other questions about human beings and the order they create to come to the fore. The only question is no longer where one comes from and where one is going, but the reasons for the acts on the self-perception of the individual trapped in reorganized institutions. As a matter of fact, trying to understand the reasons for these acts, man tries to make sense of his individuality as well as what is happening around him with new myths. This effort is also seen in modern literature. Leylâ Erbil, one of the writers of the 1950s generation, is one of the notable examples in this context. Leylâ Erbil, in her novel Dwarf, which was published in 2001 and made an impact with its multi-layered structure, deals with the destruction of globalization, which is a misreading of universality in a world where capitalism reigns with its destructions, and the devaluation of women as a result of the evolution from a matriarchal society structure to a patriarchal society during the transition from Ma, the mother goddess in Latin mythology, to celestial religions. While placing this devaluation on social events, the author reveals it with images such as recent Turkish history, mythology and religion. In this article, we will trace the myths in Leylâ Erbil's novel Dwarf.
Leylâ Erbil, Cüce, mythology, myths, modern Turkısh literature.