STRATEGIC EMPATHIZING IN SERENADE FOR NADIA BY ZÜLFÜ LIVANELI

Abstract

This article is part of an extensive theoretical research I am conducting on narrative empathy in Zülfü Livaneli’s novel Serenade for Nadia, a novel whose topics approach issues facing society today. Putting forward the hypothesis that the novel comprises narrative strategies that aim at manifesting the reader’s empathy, I will analyze some aspects of the novel through the lens of the concept of strategic empathy, as defined by the theorist Suzanne Keen. This article will cover two potential strategies identified, namely strategic idealization, and the representation of a tragic love story, as tools for eliciting the reader’s empathic response.