The Image of a Woman in White in Oral Narratives about the Great Patriotic War: Motives, Plots, Functions

Abstract

The subject of the study in the article is the image of a woman in white and its modifications. The material was actually oral narratives about the Great Patriotic War, as well as their transformation in artistic and journalistic articles. The relevance is due to the fact that, despite the frequent appeal of scientists to this image, it is not fully described. The purpose of the analysis is to systematize views on the genesis and interpretation of this character (from the personification of diseases, death, war to the appearance of the saint or the Virgin), highlighting the main functions, images, motives and plots. Also, this work describes the characteristic features of a woman in white (appearance, actions and their consequences). The question of the origin of this character continues to be debatable, in connection with which various interpretations are given. In addition, the analysis of the woman in white as a character of modern urban folklore (primarily among young people) is given, some parallels are drawn with similar characters in other cultures (Yuki-onna, banshee), which can become an interesting perspective for the development of the topic, especially in the perspective of comparison with the plots of traditional folklore.