The Image of the Kurdish Individual in the novel Through the Desert by Karl May

Abstract

Imagology is one of the modern and important topics in comparative literary studies, the importance of this topic is in the fact that it is a connecting bridge that introduces two nations to one another via researching each other’s literature. The thoughts, images and obstacles in the mind towards the other are rectified, learning about the other’s literature in reality is a means to gain cultural awareness of different cultures. Imagology is not only thinking about the image of the other but it involves the transference of knowledge and the reciprocation of ideas, and comparison is the mental aspect to open horizons of knowledge and rectifying the prejudices towards the other and reassessing the other in the becoming place. Psychological, political and historical areas of a culture can be learnt via Imagological researching of a literary text. The hypothesis of this research involves how the image of the Kurdish individual has been portrayed in a foreign literary text, namely, (Through the Desert) by Karl May; how the images have been portrayed? This research is titled “The Image of the Kurdish Individual in the Through the Desert novel by Karl May”. The result showed that the image of the Kurdish individual is that of a generous, brave but persecuted individual.