Religion and belief perception in the Turkish novel (1939-1942)

The willpower that built the Republic of Turkey after the Ottoman Empire went out of existence made westernization (modernization) and secularism an idea to be applied to all areas of life. The basis of this mindset shift was launched in the last two centuries of the Ottoman Empire and put into practice during the republican period. The novel, one of the major literary genres, also has been used as one of the most efficient bases of social transformation. The belief elements in social life have been covered in novels since the Tanzimat. And, since the Republican period, it has evolved into a more secular view by the political structure of the conditions. Religion and belief elements have prominently become the material of criticism. In addition, elements such as jihad, veteran-martyrdom, azan, and salaat are considered sources of motivation in history and adventure novels. In this thesis, in which the elements of religion and belief in the Turkish novel between 1939-1942 are tried to be determined 85 novels have been evaluated. It is observed that there is no data on religion and belief elements in some novels except for the common phrases. It is ascertained that these elements are more prominent in novels with the content of ideas, history, and politics. While the use of the elements generally follows a natural course according to the flow of the content, it is seen that the positive or negative view of religious elements in some novels becomes clear enough to create a perception of belief. Data on beliefs in especially Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, ancient Egyptian beliefs, and other beliefs such as paganism was evaluated in the novels of this period. It is seen that elements regarding Islam stand out prominently in the novels. The issues such as principles of faith, 5 pillars of Islam, religious days and nights, religious symbols, reverends, sects, mystical structures, traditions combined with religious elements, etc are the elements that appear in this framework. The depressions that individuals fall into due to lack of belief, the need to believe, and the stories of tergiversation or conversion draw attention.