A comparison of Latife Tekin's "Dear Shameless Death" and Isabel Allende's "The House of the Spirits" in a feminist perspective

Literature serves as a mirror of social and cultural transformations, playing a significant role in shaping the identities of individuals within society. Throughout history, the individual experiences of women oppressed by societal restrictions and expectations have often been reflected in literary works. Women's ability to voice their experiences became possible largely through the emergence of feminism and feminist criticism. Feminist literary criticism, as a powerful critical approach, criticizes the underrepresentation of women in literary texts by addressing the use of female images and stereotypes in examining the dynamics of gender roles. This thesis compares Latife Tekin's Dear Shameless Death (1983) and Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits (1982) through the lens of feminist literary criticism in the light of comparative literary discipline. This thesis not only explores the basic approaches of feminist literary criticism but also analyzes the concept and history of feminism. Issues such as the oppression faced by the female characters in patriarchal societies, gender roles, women's solidarity and women's freedom in both works will be analyzed comparatively with sociological data, culture and psychoanalysis according to their social and cultural elements.