Evolution of Female Images in the I.A. Grinevskaya’s Works of the 1890s–1900s.

Abstract

The article discusses the evolution of female images in the literary and critical writings of I.A. Grinevskaya in 1890s–1900s. The analysis focuses on early works of the author, which reproduce different female types, their life and experiences. In the 1890s Grinevskaya describes recognizable situations in the home and family and women in their traditional roles. By the 1900s her attention shifts to serious social problems, which affects on her interest towards certain types of women, men and their relationships. In the play “Bab” (1903), the main characters, the prophet Bab and his follower Khuret, depart from traditional gender patterns of behavior. One of the main storylines is the women’s movement led by Khuret, which touches upon issues relevant to women at the beginning of the 20th century: women’s education, prejudice against the age, appearance and behavior of women. The play “Bab” marks the beginning of a new stage in the evolution of Grinevskaya’s creativity and worldview. In the late 1900s she herself becomes a member of the women’s movement, and the problems identified in the play will be discussed in her lectures in the 1900s.