Sevgi Soysal'ın yapıtlarında kadın kimliği (Tutkulu Perçem, Tante Rosa, Yürümek)

Abstract

Woman characters who are generally in the foreground in the literary works of the prominent Turkish author Sevgi Soysal (1936-1976), draw readers’ attention to the fact that they had been created with similar characteristics. When woman characters who are generally unsatisfied with themselves, especially in Tutkulu Perçem (1962), Tante Rosa (1968), and Yürümek (1970) are analyzed from a psychoanalytic perspective, it can be seen they experience not only personal crises, but also show such characteristics that would fit the definitions of neurotic personality and frigidity. One of the most evident characteristics of this unique type of woman is that she believes she can reach the way of life she had dreamed of by changing herself. However, in the works of Sevgi Soysal, no woman can succeed in this in real life. Sometimes it can be seen that Sevgi Soysal defends women’s rights by using woman characters she has created in her works. When Soysal’s attitude is analyzed in relation to feminism the following may be said: In her early works such as Tutkulu Perçem, Tante Rosa, and Yürümek, Soysal criticizes the perception of woman as “other” in patriarchal society, but her focus is predominantly on individual problems. The question of women in the later works of Sevgi Soysal is seen as part of social disorder and represented in this way. The thesis concludes that Sevgi Soysal cannot be considered a “feminist writer” or her literary works as “products of feminism”. Furthermore, there are quite a few autobiographical elements in the works of Sevgi Soysal. The facts that woman characters in her books carry similar characteristics, and are narrated in a very consistent way cannot be seen as coincidences. The strong correspondence between Soysal’s private life and her narratives shows that the writer was trying to find a solution to her own dilemmas through the fictional characters she had created.