The historians of the middle period make a long list. But their work is blemished, as a rule, by a difficult, stilted style, and the pettiness of the annalist. exceptions in the long series we may select Ibrahim, who shows some inkling of what a historian should be; Solak Zadh, who died about 1680, and wrote in the graphic style of an eye-witness; and espe cially Katib Tshelebi, sometimes called Ilajji Khalfah (q.v.). His real name was Mustafa, and he died in 1058, leaving an enormous mass of ex tremely valuable writings in history, geography, and bibliography.
To the same period probably belong certain writings of value which are passed over in scorn by the Turkish literary critics because they are not in the mongrel language of the pedants. Hence their authors are unknown. Of this class is the history of the Forty Viziers, dedicated to Sultan Mustapha 1. (1617-23 ) . It is a cycle of some seventy-five stories grouped about an incident of the Joseph and Potiphar order. The hook is directed against the idea of trusting the fair sex and winds up, after all wrongs hare been righted, with the quaint prayer, "Slay the Most High bring us all near to the and to God, and keep us from the tricks of deceitful woman. Amen." Another of these unconsidered classics of Turkish is the Life of Nasr-eddin Hoja. a col lection of bulls acted or spoken by a Turk of Asia Minor, who is delightfully humorous. To the same class belongs the story of Shah Miran, a collection of fairy-tales, religious in purpose, which is remarkable for its pure Turkish diction.
As a fruit of the Crimean War a revolution took place in the educational system of Turkey. The result has been the appearance of the mod ern school of writers who are yet to change en tirely the character of Turkish literature. The heavy scholastic theologians are seeking to arrest the movement by the censorship, and they have persecuted or imprisoned some of the most pow erful writers, like Ebuzzia Tewfik, or sent them to die in exile on a barren island like Kernel Bey. The aim of the new school of writers is to free the Turkish language from the incubus of Arabic grammatical purism. The writers who have perhaps done the most toward accomplishing this object are Ahmed Vefik Pasha (died 1893), whose dictionary of Turkish in two volumes was a revelation to multitudes, and Ahmed Mithad Effendi, noted for his novels, essays, and his torical studies. Great as is the linguistic value of Ahmed Mithad's writings, they are too close imitations of French works to have permanent literary value. Of far greater weight was Kemal Bey, who died in 1878. Jevdet Pasha, illustrious as an historian, whose works show a steady de velopment toward the simpler Turkish style; Zia Pasha, a brilliant essayist and poet; and Jevad Pasha, who has written a fine history of the origins of the Turkish military organization, are other examples of this school. Other notable
names of this period are Muallim Naji, poet and essayist ; Ebuzzia Tewfik, literary critic; Sezayi Bey, Hussein Rahmi, Ahmed Rasim, and Aliye Hanum, daughter of the historian Jevdet Pasha, all of whom are novelists, dealing with current life in a realistic style entirely new in Turkish literature. The modern period cannot he said to have entirely revealed its qualities while strife with reactionist control continues. But it has at least shown that there is a future before the writers of Turkey, if they ever have freedom to speak and to develop.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. For analysis of the philosophy Bibliography. For analysis of the philosophy of Turkish grammar, consult: Shaw. Sketch of the Turkish Language as Spoken in Eastern Tur kestan (Calcutta, 1878-80) : for the Eastern Turk ish language, De Courteille, Dietionnaire lure oriental (Paris, 18701 ; V5mbery, Cagataische Sprachstudien (Leipzig, 1867) ; Radloff, Die alt hirkiseh en Insch rif ten der Mongolei (Saint Peters burg, 1897) ; id., I'roben der Volkslitteratur der tiirkischen Stamnie Siid-Siberiens (ih., 'SOS) ; Bahtlingk, Urber (lie Sm-arhe der Jakuten 1851). For the Ottoman Turkish language, con sult: Wells, Practical Grammar of the Turkish Language (London, 1SSO) ; Wahrmund. Prak tisehes Handbuch der osinanisch-t iirkiseh en Sprache (2d ed., Giessen, 1885) ; August 'Milner, "Tfirkische Grammatik," in the Porta Linguarum Orientalium (Berlin, 1889) ; Youssouf. Gram moire complete de la langue ottomanc (Constan tinople, 1892) ; Redhouse, Lexicon of the Otto man Turkish Language (Constantinople. 1884), the most complete Turkish lexicon in existence; id., English-Turkish Dictionary (ib., 18611 ; Sami, Dietionnaire turc-franeais, francais-ture (Constantinople, 1883). is a small hut very use ful work. For Turkish literature, consult: Jacob. Tarkische Litteraturgeschiehte in Einzel darstellungen (Berlin, 1900 et seq.) ; id., Tii.rk ische Volkslitteratur (ib.. 1901) ; Gibb, History of Ottoman Poetry (London, 1902) ; Hammer Purgstall, Geschichte der osmanischen Dicht kunst (Pesth, 1S36-3S). "Turkish Literature," in the World's Great Classics (London, 1901), is a convenient collection of translations of typical Turkish works; except in the Ottoman poetry translated by Gibb, however, the articles are not taken directly from the Turkish, and often miss the point of the original. Poole, The Story of Turkey (New York, 1888), has sonic valuable re marks on the characteristics of Turkish litera ture.