Tao Li, Nagumanova E. F.

Femininity in Russian and Chinese Prose  of the Second Half of the 20th Century(based on Works by V. Tokareva and Zhang Jie)        P. 114-121.

UDC 821.161.1-3.09«19»+821.581-3.09«19»

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2022.77.4.012

Abstract. This article analyzes Russian and Chinese prose of the second half of the 20th century from the philosophical perspective of love and marriage. The relevance of this research is accounted for by the fact that women’s prose of the 1980s–1990s is largely underinvestigated and by the relevance of the investigation \\of cross-cultural dialogue in literary works. The purpose of the study is to discover the similarities \and differences in the way Viktoria Tokareva and Zhang Jie depict family problems in their works (I Exist. You Exist. He Exists and The Slipper Animalcule by Viktoria Tokareva and The Ark and The Emerald \by Zhang Jie). The research shows that the issues of family and marriage are widely depicted in women’s literature of the 1980s and are viewed through the prism of social changes. Thus, Zhang Jie writes that \the Cultural Revolution has boosted women’s self-awareness and self-confidence. However, men are unwilling to accept strong women. Therefore, Zhang Jie’s heroines are usually single and lonely. Victoria Tokareva masterfully reveals the spiritual world of different types of women. She reveals the essence of female images by symbolic comparisons (a tram, a slipper animalcule). Among her female characters there are both successful business ladies and housewives. Tokkareva’s and Jie’s characters have similar traits but their views on the world are different, for they have different mentalities. The results of the research can be used to teach Russian literature and modern comparative studies in universities.

Keywords: women’s prose, comparative studies, family theme, Viktoria Tokareva, Zhang Jie.

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