L. V. Garelina’s Dramatic Experiments in the Context of “Big” Literature

Abstract

The article is devoted to the introduction to the scientific circulation of the literary work of L. V. Garelina (1822–1885), an original representative of provincial women’s literature, a manufactory adviser, and an influential figure in the cultural life of Ivanovo-Voznesensk. Garelina’s legacy is diverse and includes lyrics, drama, works for children, and translations: the writer tries herself in different generic and genre formats. The study of Garelina’s creative biography is of particular interest also because, in the urban culture of the 19th century, she was a rare example of a writer from the merchant class. This article examines the dramatic layer of Garelina’s legacy, namely three well-known plays with their variants. These works demonstrate connections and intersections with the works of Griboyedov, Pushkin, Turgenev, Ostrovsky, Potekhin, and others. The article analyses specifics of the influence of “big” literature on a writer who is receptive and attentive to current trends: as a starting point and imitations/ variations, she selects not only significant social and psychological problems raised by contemporaries but also genre innovations (stage plays, for example) and stylistic moments (detailing, household and ethnographic concretization, the development of folk speech, etc.).

Keywords

• l. v. garelina
• drama
• stage plays
• women writers
• women playwrights
• women’s provincial text
• female image