ON THE WORSHIP OF FEMALE CHARACTERS IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE (THE CASE OF LEO TOLSTOY’S NOVEL “RESURRECTION”)

Abstract

In Russian literatures, variable women characters play an important role in developing the plots and sublimating the themes. The women characters are portrayed mainly in two ways. The first way is metaphysical, carrying the author’s religious and philosophical thoughts. The other way is realistic, paying more attention to women’s social real status. These different ways of characterization in literature demonstrate the contradictory attitudes towards women in Russian culture. On the one hand, women are taken as pathetic accessories of men. On the other hand, women are viewed as good examples of salvation. This paper takes Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection as an example to analyze the female protagonist, Maslova, hoping to reach a deeper understanding of the women characters’ portraying and meaning in Russian literature works in respect to their cultural origin and practical significance.