Abstract:

The novel, as a literary genre, serves as a historical witness to the era in which it was penned, bearing traces of the social events of that time. Writers, as individuals who both influence and are influenced by society, utilize the events they have personally witnessed as material for their works. Sociology of literature leverages literary works to analyze the intellectual movements, social fabric, and dynamics of social change within specific periods. Modernization or Westernization, often considered to have officially commenced with the Tanzimat reform in the Ottoman Empire, involves the assimilation of numerous innovations into social life. The social changes and transformations during the period beginning with Tanzimat and continuing with the innovations of the Republic found expression in novels of that era in various forms. Halide Edip Adıvar is one such writer who incorporated themes of social change into her works. Addressing issues such as women's education, women's rights, and women's social status, Halide Edip explored similar themes in her novel "Tatarcık," which is the primary source of this study. The central character, Lale (Tatarcık), embodies the ideal woman reflecting the significance of women in Halide Edip's vision for the formation of a new Turkish society. The changes brought about by the Republic's innovations in Poyraz village, where the novel is set, the education of the young individuals introduced as “the seven,” their perspectives on social life, and the lives that superficially imitate Westernization are the central themes examined in the novel "Tatarcık.".