NET OCHKA NEZVANOVA AND THE FORMATION OF FEMALE SUBJECTIVITY IN THE WORKS OF F.M. DOSTOEVSKY

Abstract

In Dostoevsky’s works, female characters are often reduced to the binary opposition of “angel” and “witch,” serving a subordinate role in the spiritual quests of male heroes. This article argues that the early novella Netochka Nezvanova offers a means to overcome this paradigm. Through a detailed textual analysis, the study traces the heroine’s gradual formation of subjectivity, a process conditionally divided into four stages: (1) Emergence of Netochka’s subjective consciousness; (2) Orientation toward external evaluation and emotional dependence; (3) Acquisition of intersubjective experience and the first manifestation of subjectivity; and (4) Conscious construction of subjectivity. Unlike many other female characters in Dostoevsky, Netochka is unique in her transition from dependence on the Other to assuming the role of her own savior. Consequently, a positive and dynamic form of female subjectivity is established. This character thus provides new insight into the gender dimension of Dostoevsky’s narrative.