A semiotic analysis of Cenap Şahabettin's poetry

This research investigates the poetry of Cenap Şahabettin, a prominent literary figure of the Servet-i Fünun period, through the lens of A. J. Greimas's semiotic framework. The central aim is to move beyond the textual surface and explore the deeper layers of meaning embedded within the poet's works. To that end, the study first outlines the theoretical foundations of semiotics, followed by an exposition of Greimas's analytical tools, including the discursive structure, actantial schema, and the semiotic square. In the analytical section, Şahabettin's poems are examined through various thematic categories. Each poem is approached with attention to its narrative construction, subject-object dynamics, and semantic oppositions. Temporal and spatial elements, along with narrative agents, are identified at the discursive level, while narrative progression and actantial roles are explored through narrative analysis. Conceptual oppositions within the poems are mapped using the semiotic square at the logical-semantic level. The findings reveal that Cenap Şahabettin's poetry contains meaning patterns that anticipate key aspects of modern Turkish poetry. His use of allegorical language is shown to carry significant semantic depth, and themes such as nature and love are reinterpreted through a semiotic lens. The thesis aims to offer a theoretical contribution to Turkish literary studies and demonstrate the applicability of Greimas's semiotic method in the interpretation of poetic texts.