BEİNG A WOMAN İN KÜTAHYA TALES: FROM FAİRY TALE WOMAN TO WOMAN
HACER AKÇAALAN
Ph.d.Student in Uşak University Turkish Language Literature Deparment , Department of Folk Literature -Turkish Teacher
akcaalanhacer@hotmail.comABSTRACT
Equivalent Tales, which are among the most ancient representatives of our oral culture, are generally regarded as unrelated to social reality. However, this is a misconception. Tales are life simulators, and while we listen to fairy tales, we identify ourselves with fairy tale heroes in this magical world. This identification appears as the cultural meanings of our gender — femininity or masculinity — that is, gender roles. In fairy tales, the woman should be considered not only as a fairy tale hero, but also in terms of meanings. In this sense, femininity takes its place in the concrete community that constitutes itself, and these gender roles and stereotypes are conveyed to generations through language ties. The role of the woman in fairy tales continues in a cyclical way, both as a signifier and a signified, with the society she lives in. In this study, in order to reveal the roles of femininity in Kütahya tales, a sample of five fairy tales were selected among the Kütahya tales compiled by us for our doctoral study. Based on the chosen fairy tales; In Kütahya tales, which female roles are defined by the society, the social behaviors expected to fulfill by women, cultural expectations, the duties and responsibilities given by the society to women are discussed. While determining the gender roles of women based on Kütahya tales; The struggle of women to overcome gender inequalities, the injustice and exclusion they suffered by both their own sexes and men, their marginalization, and the rights and freedoms they have gained are emphasized. Good women and bad women in fairy tales; mothers and stepmothers, princesses and witches, beautiful girls and cronies, married women, widows and residents, fairy girls and giant mothers… Fairy-tale women are prototypes of the women of the society from which they came from. Collects all the examples shown and actually can be shown. They all ceased to be fairy tale women and took their places in the real life scene. This is a cycle that evolves from fairy-tale femininity to exemplary femininity. The correlation between the position and role of women in fairy tale society and their position and role in real life is striking. The identification and awareness of gender roles in fairy tales will contribute to an egalitarian and fair distribution of roles in society and to the writing of new tales.
Keywords: Kütahya Tales, Gender Roles, Tale, Woman.