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Abstract:

The main objective of this study is a multidimensional analysis of the short story “The Ghost” (1911) by A.M. Fedorov from the perspective of modern literary criticism, gender theories, psychoanalysis, and a cultural studies approach in order to identify the diverse meanings of the main characters images and of the key motifs, including the hidden mechanisms of gender symbolism and representation. It is important to demonstrate which archetypal plot models and topoi the author relies on, how his work reflects and reinterprets traditional notions of gender roles in the modern era, and which images and motifs implicitly contain gender symbolism. The analysis revealed that the images of the main characters (the artist and the ghost lover) can be interpreted as metaphors for normative representations of masculinity and femininity, while simultaneously demonstrating psychological changes and transgressions of sociocultural stereotypes. The archetypes of the creator, muse, and brilliant work of art also, on the one hand, vividly demonstrate the modernist philosophy of art, and on the other hand, are reinterpreted as travesty of these ideas.

Keywords: A.M. Fedorov, mystical novella, ghost woman, artist, portrait, muse, femininity, masculinity.