The birth of "woman" in the modernization process of ottoman poetry: The emergence of feminine discourse in poems of Nigâr hanim

Nigâr bint-i `Osman (1862-1918) is the first female poet, who was influenced by movements of Western literature such as Romanticism and Sentimentalism. Poems of Nigâr Hanım were mostly analysed in the light of the aesthetic measures of Ottoman classical literature and Western literature. However, Nigâr Hanım may also be regarded as the first female poet who produces a feminine discourse by unveiling her female identity in the limits of gender roles. In this study, feminine discourse was discussed in Nigâr Hanım?s poems. First of all, the whole texts of Nigâr Hanım was transliterated into the new alphabet except for her play called Tesir-i Aşk (Impression of Love) and diaries. Nigâr Hanım published three books collecting her lyrical poems which are Efsûs: Birinci Kısım (Alas! [First Part]), Efsûs: İkinci Kısım (Alas! [Second Part]) and Aks-i Seda (Echo of Voice). These texts are the primary sources of this thesis project. In the first part, the transformation of gender roles and social status of women in the nineteenth century Ottoman society and the views of various intellectuals were discussed. In the second part, the universality of postmodern feminist approaches, especially gynocriticism were questioned and a new, alternative approach was offered by searching feminine discourse in poems of Nigâr Hanım. Hence, poems of Nigâr Hanım were read comparatively with male poets writing during the same period, who are Recaizâde Mahmut Ekrem (1847-1914), Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan (1852-1937), Celâl Sâhir (1883-1935) and Cenab Şahabeddin (1870-1934).