The Figures of Leisure and Play In The Hüseyin Nihal Atsız’s Bozkurtlar Novel

Hüseyin Nihal ATSIZ describes the steppe life of the period through historical characters that structured on the history of Göktürks in the Bozkurtlar novel. In this study, Atsız is the subject of Turkish Ethics and the social morality of Turks, but also provides information about the daily lives of Turks. The aim of this study is to determine the leisure activities of Turks in steppe life in light of what Atsız told us about and to have knowledge about the culture of play and entertainment of the period. The novel consists of two parts: ”Bozkurtların Ölümü” and “Bozkurtlar Diriliyor” that events were experienced in different geographies. The presence of different cultures in these geographies is also important in terms of revealing the effect of social morality and the geography on the leisure habits of societies. Considering the conditions of time in the novel, the concept of leisure and the activities of the individuals were evaluated in the context of game theories. The Study in this aspect; It is a social time study that focuses on social life elements such as life style, beliefs, customs and traditions, entertainment types, competitions and ceremonies. The most striking aspect of the games played in the steppe life is that they are regular games. Complying with the rules is equivalent to following the Turkish Ethics. The theory of readiness to life, which is a kind of game theories, is seen as an approach defining the aims of children who are prepared for adult games and their later lives in steppe life. Children are prepared for their future lives through experiences of actions related to later life through play. As a result of socio-cultural development theory, the same children learn the rules of Turkish Ethics with play.

Keywords

Recreation Management, Atsız, Bozkurtlar, Recreation, Play and Fun