Social Criticism In Halide Edip Adivar’s Novels

This article considers Halide Edip Adıvar, one of the most prominent figures in Turkish literature, to be the first woman novelist to have a multifaceted outlook on social problems and strives in the first place to identify the reasons for which Halide Edip looked into these social problems. The article then goes on to categorize Halide Edip’s social criticism under such headings as ‘Erroneous Westernization’, ‘Education’, ‘Education of Women’, ‘Conservatism in Religion’, ‘Moral Decline’ and ‘Government’ thereby underlining the vast variety of problems she tackles as a woman novelist without the slightest attempt to overlook any social shortcomings. The article will also focus on how Halide Edip uses her writing or different characters in her work to convey her experiences and observations in problematic areas such as the misconception of Westernization, education, religion, government, moral decline seen during war time and in transition phases as well as tribulations in family structure.