Literary Places Between Fiction and Reality: Perceived Authenticity at the Museum of Innocence

This study aims to explore how perceived authenticity shapes the experiences of literary tourists by focusing on the Museum of Innocence, a unique literary site in İstanbul where fiction has materialized into a museum space. The research investigates the role of object-based and subject-based authenticity in visitors' engagements with the museum. A qualitative case study approach was employed, using purposive sampling to collect 24 written narratives from individuals who had read the novel and visited the museum. The narratives were analysed through thematic analysis, using inductive and deductive approaches. Four key themes emerged: (1) Entering the Fictional World, highlighting intra-personal existential authenticity through imagination, ritualizing the museum visit in connection to the reading of the novel, and dynamic interaction between fiction and reality; (2) Experiencing Fiction through Space and Objects, showing the interplay between constructive and intra-personal existential authenticity through tangible elements of the museum; (3) Reflexive Meaning-making, highlighting intra-personal existential authenticity through self-reflection, co-creation of the meaning, and the dialectical relationship between the reading and visiting experiences; (4) Encountering the Author, demonstrating the relationship between objective and intra-personal existential authenticity by revealing how interacting with Orhan Pamuk’s personal belongings triggers a cognitive and emotional connection with the author and the creative process. Findings indicate that both object-based and subject-based authenticity play a significant role in shaping the museum experience and object-based authenticity functions as a facilitator of existential authenticity.