Similar and different in M. Zhukova’s and O. Gan’s literary creation

L.V. Vlasenko

National University of Food Technologies, Ukraine

Women-writers’ creativity in the early of XIX century contains elements of romanticism, unrelated topics, stories and ideas to write works.

The main representatives of the Romantic era who are brought their vision, personal perception of reality. In addition, highlighted main elements of the similarities and differences in the work of forgotten women writers we would like to focus on the work of Olena Gan and Maria Zhukova.

In our view, the difference between Zhukova and Gan is in their style of writing: Gan describes her life, giving it the desired colors and hope. Zhukova’s description of the life is diluted with fantasies and dreams. Moreover, connects them the feelings expressing.

Zhukova and Gun are provincial, but Gan hides she is considered to «high-end» writer, but Zhukova does not hide its origin. Perhaps it also played a role in Gan - she always had to monitor their behavior, language that is consistent her position.

M. Zhukova has not in her works as many quotes as O. Gan’s. In our view, the difference between Zhukova Gan consists in the following: M. Zhukova much attention is devoted to description. Of course, it is better for author, she occurs in the course of action, her thoughts, remember, so do not let out of sight, thus focusing on many subjects and actions. However, Gan is not interested in describing the scene; she had more descriptions of landscapes. M. Zhukova is an artist; she finds beauty detection in all that surrounds her.

In our opinion, Zhukova’s works are rich in artistic value comparisons, because the writer compares them with paintings of great artists. It has repeatedly proves her knowledge of art criticism, travelling. It must be concluded that such way of describing Zhukova perhaps borrowed, or it is her own literary acquisition. However, as was noted by O. Biletskiy, Gan is not focused in the description of trinkets and specific events.

M. Zhukova describes the place of nature, which inspires her, where her dreams and soul find peace, where the heart is filled with freedom. The theme of religion, hope, beauty goes through her work. Although the colors in Zhukova’s descriptions are not described fully, but in the description of nature they are exist: she describes them with such admiration that inadvertently switches attention to the description of nature.

Thus, the difference between Gan and Zhukova is that they see differently surrounding reality. Gan sees it as the superficial description, and Zhukova sees it as the specific pictures. Gan’s and Zhukova’s the characters’ “husbands remain in the background” [1] Men in both writers are not interested in the lives of their women, only the view of society are interesting for them.

The difference between O. Gan and M. Zhukova lies in their relation to women's fate. Of course, M. Zhukova shows female spirits, but she sends them through the characters’ sacrifice in different conditions. Characters’ fate in Gan’s works is a personal author’s shout and the splash of her soul. Gan tried to show the inner world of a woman because of her upbringing, education, the desire to be heard, the ability to prove that the woman has the same right with her husband, cannot deal only with the family, but also with literature. It is important for Zhukova to keep the woman with her family, to please her husband. Although O. Gan also inclined to think that, the main thing for women is a family.

Thus, O. Gan and M. Zhukova are women of different destinies, but have common aspirations. A bright splash outlook causes their desire, identify their own “Me”, awareness of themselves and their place in literature, and society as a whole.

All this makes it possible to conclude that Gan’s and Zhukova’s works have common and distinctive characteristics, namely:

1. M. Zhukova and O. Gan women-writers in “the fate of which you can see double marginality – they were writing provincial women” [2, p. 178]. Their heroes are also provincial. The places in their works is a provincial town.

2. Their names associated with a particular kind of genre as “provincial story” [3, p. 81].

3. O. Gan showed in her works “romantic model of the confrontation of the poet and his uncomprehending crowd (public)” [3, p. 84-87], and Zhukova was interested in readers, she did not follow to radical ideas and stylistic experiments.

4. Gan has a pronounced protest against the women of the world and society, and Zhukova has it is hidden behind the characters and their sacrifice.

5. Zhukova’s works are full of descriptions and comparisons.

6. Neither Gan nor Zhukova have not detailed description of the characters’ appearance.

In our view, describing provincial life, Gan and Zhukov tried to show the difference between education and behavior, attitude to others, the world’s perception. Perhaps the following equation writers tried to show the existence of dual personality, which opposed the capital and the provincial city, and restraint. Such comparison, in our opinion, are the basis of external and internal opposition, the ideal and the real life.

Literature

1. “Эпизод из истории русского романтизма. Русские писательницы 1830 - 1860-х годов”. Відділ рукописних фондів і текстології Інституту літератури ім. Т.Г. Шевченка НАН України. – Ф. 162. – Од. зб. 520-522.

2. Савкина И. “Провинциалки русской литературы (женская проза 30-40-х годов XIX века)” – Wilhelmshorst: Verlag F.K. Gopfert, 1998. – 223 c.]. Режим доступу: http://www.a-z.ru/women_cd1/html/s_1.htm

3. Kelly Catriona. A History of Russian Women’s Writing 1820-1992. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1994.