Nezihe Muhiddin, kadın gotiği ve gotik kahramanlar

Abstract

Three novels by Nezihe Muhiddin, İstanbul’da Bir Landru (A Landru in Istanbul) [1934], Benliğim Benimdir! (I Am The Master!) [1929] ve Sus Kalbim Sus! (Hush Now!) [1944], have not yet been related to the gothic tradition, not only because of the central position of realism in Turkish literature but also because of Muhiddin being a controversial figure in the political arena of the Republican Period. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the reasons why Muhiddin has used the gothic tradition in these novels. Following the theoretical framework for this study, the next chapter focuses on how the Byronic hero, necrophilia and liminality lead the way in the “child” woman’s adventure in the novel İstanbul’da Bir Landru. These three gothic elements which are associated with the past suggest Princess Nazlı’s longing for a period when she held power. The other two novels are studied in the next chapter to reveal how heroines struggle against violence inside and outside the house. These gothic heroines who have professionalized in their roles which have been set by the patriarchy can also be considered as signs of Muhiddin’s professional femininity. By means of such inquiries into the gothic tradition, a new light is shed upon the readings of these novels either as a criticism of the “Western” or the Ottoman or as a celebration of the Republican ideology. Nezihe Muhiddin as a writer of subversion in the female gothic tradition is thus given a distinct place among other writers in the Republican Period.