Abstract:

It has been seen that many of the literary genres were written for the first time in the Tanzimat Period, an important turning point in Turkish literature. Another noteworthy point is that the genres are mostly written by male writers. The perspective on the education and the attitude towards the education of girls in that period has led women writers to keep low profile. In such period, Mrs. Fatma Aliye, regarded as the first Turkish woman novelist, has made significant contributions to Turkish literature with her works on women’s rights and women identities.  Accordingly, it has led the field studies on the female types in Mrs. Fatma Aliye’s novels to be examined in the context of different variables. However, there are no studies about the education that girls in an earlier age receive and assume the identity of woman. Therefore, a study is conducted on the education of the girls mentioned in Mrs. Fatma Aliye’s novels.  In this study, which is limited to Mrs. Fatma Aliye’s novels such as Muhadarat, Enîn and Refet, document analysis is employed as a qualitative research method. Some of the main results obtained from these three novels for girls’ education are related to “learning French” and “taking piano lessons”. Among other results it has been noticed that in the period of Tanzimant families, with good financial situation, continued the education of their daughters with private tutors especially after the girls coming of age. In addition, it has been noticed that while poor girls go to primary, secondary, and teacher training schools to become teachers and earn money, girls from rich families are sent to these schools to pretend as if they went to such schools except private tutors.

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