An expedition towards the ideal woman: Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoğlu

Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoğlu, who is one of the important authors of Servet-i Funûn Period and the National Literature Period, bore witness to the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish War of Independence and the declaration of The Turkish Republic throughout his 57 year old life span and the author fictionalized the Ottoman Modernisation and Nationalism issues in many of his short stories and novels by putting the female characters in the center during this period. The images of the female characters which were written in his short story Hâristan during the Servet-i Fünun Period, the National Literature Period's literary work Çağlayanlar, six short stories which were not published into a book, two monologues and his novel Gönül Hanım are analysed in this thesis. When the author's short story "Haristan" in the Servet-i Fünun Period and other short stories which weren't published into a book are examined, it is obviously seen that the author touched on reflections of the female characters' emotional and psychological states in their love stories and marriages, the characteristics of progressive women and '' the others '' in the period of the Ottoman Modernisation, the women education issue, inequality of women and men in the area of law. On the other hand; it is determined that the author kept the female characters out of individual love and raised female characters as sisters and companions who do the same jobs in the same areas with male characters, also do much more, by dewomanising female characters in the society in his short story Çağlayanlar and his novel Gönül Hanım in the National Literature Period. In this regard, it is appeared that the author fictionalized the female images into a new identity frame in his literary works throughout the National Literature Period. To conclude, the female characters' dressing style, habitual consumption, education and lifestyle which were under Westernization influence in his Servet-i Fünun Period literary works were reinterpreted in his female characters which belong to his literary works in the National Literature Period by nationalizing. It is concluded that he raised '' graduated'' Gönül Hanım, protagonist female character in his novel Gönül Hanım, who had a bluestocking identity integrating with her intelligence and morals, as the most ideal woman in all his literary works throughout both of these periods. Key words: Servet-i Funûn Period, National Literature Period, Ahmet Hikmet Müftüoğlu, nationalism, ideal woman.