Family and gender in millennials' novels in Turkey: 2006-2020

This new historicist analysis aims to analyze the mutual interactions be-tween family and gender-related themes of Turkish millennials' novels and the family and gender politics of the 2000s and 2010s, in which millennials' novels were written. In this context, 26 millennials' novels were analyzed and interpreted through a critical reading. Findings suggested that millennials' novels contradict the traditional, patriarchal, and conservative family norms that have been supported and encouraged by the governments in Turkey in the last two decades. Millennials' novels are card-carrying anti-family novels. However, they do not show a similar pattern in terms of gender. In other words, millennials' novels are in concert with the sexist, misogynist, and anti-woman discourse that dominated the epoch in which millennials' novels were written. The main reason for this situation is that millennials' novels are fictional texts that want to put right or radically change Turkish society and Turkey by creating vigilantes. A family and its responsibilities are obstacles for a vigilante character. On the other hand, vigilantes believe they could find the power they need to achieve their almost impossible goals in patriarchy, masculinity, and toxic masculinity. Therefore, millennials' novels have reproduced the sexist politics that dominated the epoch in which they were written.