Vedi AŞKAROĞLU

There are many conflicting views on the origin of human behaviour. Sociologic, psychologic, pedagogic and metaphysic explanations handle human behaviours under two main topics as “genaologic” and “materialistic”. The first view centers its arguments around genetics, socio-genetics and religious narratives, whereas the second brings forth such phenomena as education, cultural atmosphere, family structure, experiences, and art, which are based on human relations and man-made. There are, of course, eclectic approaches, which try to combine both classifications. Literature has an important function in the shaping of human emotions and ideas, which makes it akin to the second view as it creates an aesthetic, ideologic and emotional effect through constructing fictional themes, plots and characters. By means of novels, theater plays, stories, poetry and other fictional genres, literature shows that through the use of language, humans can be shaped, their behaviours can be transformed, identities can be designed, and their ideas, points of view, ideologies, beliefs and the way their perceive the world can be constructed. In this regard, the effect and functions of literay works, poems and authors become visible. In our age, where globalisation has become the main dominant reality, although some began to mourn upon the death of literature, every age has itw own soul. Literature, like other fields, has also created itself from its own ashes, and managed to construct its identity adopting new approaches and techniques. In this article, such concepts as author, poet, art, literature, ideology, communalism, aesthetic values will be theoretically discussed with a view to the roles and functions of literature in the lives of individuals and community.

Key Words: Literature, Ideology, Society, Individual, Fiction, Identity Construction, Literary Influence