Female discourse in the story of L. Yanovska “My Romance”

Abstract

This article investigates the literary realization features of female discourse in the story “My Romance” by Ukrainian author of XIX – early XX centuries Lyubov Yanovska. This paper focuses on a specific combination of populist and realistic modern features in characterizing of the female identity. Specific traits are revealed first of all in determining the dominant social sphere. Unlike traditional women farmers from Classical Literature or women of middle class in Modern Literature, the central character in the story “My Romance” is a female coming from an old aristocratic family. The author constantly emphasizes that the main character is financially ensured and socially protected lady till the certain period of time. Thus, at first glance, social problems relevant to classical literature are in some way eliminated. However, these problems in the text of chosen story become unexpectedly uncovered just in the female discourse. L. Yanovska pays much attention in her story to implementing the central female character as a mother. This traditional role is considered for a long time as not only the primary, but the only possible one. A woman mainly is a mother who cares not only about the financial status and future welfare of her children, but also she is concerned about their mental and spiritual state. In this aspect of the disclosure above mentioned author is very consistent, opening at first dynamics of psychological relationship between the mother and the children.

A woman-mother always takes care not only of her children’s education, their health and welfare, but also about their morality, mood and feelings. This story reveals that the woman is trying to lead in educating her children quite new for that time ideas of expanding social relation spheres. Paying much attention to woman’s maternal feelings the author consistently complicates her inner world, creating the psychological image. However, the most essential parts of a female discourse in the story “My romance” are associated with her love affairs, social work and psychological twists and turns experienced by the woman in love. Supplying the text with the scenes that clearly illustrate the variety of feelings and emotions associated with love, L. Yanovska presents its psychological sense quite sufficiently. Among new approaches used by the author one can mention depicting a female in the image of a person with integrity and strength that differs this story from the traditional female discourse texts. Referring to the traditional narrative, the writer manages to create innovative approaches in creating a female character, capable to be active, to develop and feel strong emotions. This image implementation is represented due to making an original psychological paradigm.