Genre System of Medieval Turkish Ashik Poetry: Problems of Genre Classification

Abstract

The article gives a theoretical analysis of the genre system of the medieval Turkish ashik poetry — oral individual-author creation of ashik-songers. The author takes into consideration two the most popular in the Turkish philology genre classifications of the ashik poetry and shows the opposite views about the term «genre» and points out weak places of the existing classifications. In the conclusion the author suggests his own genre classification of ashiks` songs basing on the idea that the term `genre` relating ashiks` songs must comprise four closely connected with each other and equal from the point of their genre determinating role elements — theme, emotional tone, melody and form.