Characterization in Mehmet Akif's and Tevfik Fikret's stories in verse

This thesis examines the characterization techniques and methods used in Mehmet Akif's Safahat and Tevfik Fikret's Rübab-ı Şikeste. The corpus includes 29 of Akif's 110 poems and 22 of Fikret's 170 poems, which are determined to be stories in verse. The analysis is conducted in the context of the narrator, characters, and narrative techniques, using the narratology method, which is a text-oriented approach. Characters play a fundamental role in narrative texts, serving important functions. They enable readers to connect with the story and comprehend the progression of events. Characters in a story can represent thematic elements and increase its depth through their characteristics, values, and behaviors. They can also arouse curiosity in the reader through changes, transformations, and conflicts they experience throughout the text. Most importantly, they help the narrative connect with real life. Characters exist in constant interaction with other narrative elements. This study aims to scrutinize how the characters are constructed, and by whom. Accordingly, the subject is classified as "narrator characterization" and "figural characterization". After determining the element that places the character in the text, the method by which the authors make the characters visible is analyzed. The study found that Akif and Fikret both preferred using the "narrator characterization" method. Nevertheless, Fikret used the heterodiegetic narrator with an external focus, while Akif used the homodiegetic narrator with an internal focus. This choice of narrator affects the distance to the character and, consequently, the credibility of the information about the character. Additionally, the evaluation of the characters' portrayal by the narrator was discussed as a potential reflection of the poet's personal voice in the narrative.