Drawing a life: examining women's graphic life narratives in Turkish literature

Abstract

This study examines autobiographical graphic novels, an emerging narrative form in Turkish literature, through the works of female artists. It explores how women have embraced this narrative form, expanded its boundaries, and conveyed their life stories through this hybrid medium from a feminist perspective. These narratives often center not only on the women themselves but also on their mothers, daughters, or grandmothers, as they depict bodies, memories, and personal histories. In doing so, they move beyond the conventions of classical autobiography, opening up a new expressive space in which gender-based experiences gain visibility. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that includes visual arts, literature, and communication studies, the thesis is framed by literary sociology, feminist criticism, graphic narrative theory, and narratology. Using qualitative textual and visual analysis, the study evaluates selected works by Özge Samancı, Gökçe Yavaş Önal, Aslı Alpar, and Burcu Türker in terms of their narrative techniques, themes, and visual language. The analysis reveals recurring themes such as the body, memory, family, mother-daughter relationships, intergenerational experience, social pressure, and female solidarity. These themes show how personal stories gain political meaning through drawing. Including artists in foreign contexts suggests a transnational narrative beyond Turkish literature. By focusing on an underexplored area in Türkiye, this thesis offers a fresh contribution to literary studies. It argues that women use graphic life narratives to express experience and develop critical discourse against patriarchal storytelling, positioning this hybrid medium as artistic and political expression.