Writing the New Woman of the Republic: The Female Protagonist's Resistance of Subjectivity against the Male Imagination's Political Synthesism in Huzur

During the foundational period of the Turkish Republic, classical culture and art were relegated to the background due to their associations with the former regime. In contrast, folklore was positioned as the primary and legitimate source of national culture to be utilized in constructing the new identity. Ahmet Hamdi Tanp & imath;nar engaged with this cultural agenda, butthrough an alternative discourse that embraced a synthesizing approach, combiningfolklore with the classical heritage of the Ottoman Empire. In this context, this article explores how Tanp & imath;nar intervenes in this cultural discussion through the construction of the female character Nuran in his novel Huzur (A Mind at Peace). The author builds Nuran's character through a politically synthesist perspective, while the protagonist M & uuml;mtaz seeks to reinterpret and reconstruct her identity within the fictional universe by rediscovering the cultural depth previously ascribed to her by the author. In both instances, Nuran, as a woman, is entrusted with the mission of preserving and transmitting both folklore and classical culture to future generations. Consequently, the study argues that the portrayal of Nuran offers an alternative proposition within the context of contemporary cultural policies. Furthermore, Nuran emerges not as a passive figure but as a distinct representation of a woman who asserts her subjectivity.