The 18th century Industrial Revolution is an event that changed not only economic, but also cultural and social life, especially affecting the individual's way of life in all aspects. Urbanisation begins and human beings adopt a new lifestyle and way of thinking. While early modern urban life creates new types of people, philosophers try to analyse and make sense of this situation. Dandy, bohemian and flaneur are lonely, travelling types in crowds, who start to exist with modern life. Baudelaire mentions flaneur for the first time, and then Benjamin expands this concept. Although the flaneur initially belongs to the streets of Paris, it gradually begins to be recognised in other geographies. In his book The Painter of Modern Life, Baudelaire depicts the predicaments and inner troubles of people in the city by moving away from nature. The flaneur is a city traveller whose behaviour is unpredictable, who can act instantaneously, who is irresponsible, who does not worry about tomorrow. The modern city offers freedom to the flaneur, in fact this type is a result of modernity.
In Turkish literature, flaneur types are encountered with the Tanzimat period. Felatun Bey and Bihruz Bey should be mentioned. Later, flaneurism is represented by the characters of Sait Faik's stories who are bored in the bohemian atmosphere of the city and the character C. in Yusuf Atılgan's Idle Man. In Sabahattin Ali's novel The Devil Inside Us, flaneurism becomes visible through the protagonist. The protagonist, Ömer, is a nihilist who wanders around the coffeehouses of Istanbul, sees work as a hobby, has no sense of responsibility, and constantly complains of inner distress. In this study, the concept of flaneur and the flaneur aspects of Ömer will be emphasised.
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