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Abstract:

This article examines literary criticism of the magazine “Zhenskii Vestnik” in the 1900s, focusing on the gender aspect of modern literature. This topic has not previously received scholarly attention. The paper analyzes critical articles discussing the works of M. Artsybashev, N. Derzhavin (Danarov), I. Potapenko, I. Kuprin, L. Andreev, M. Blandova, and A. Verbitskaya. They sparked a discussion of gender inequality, including questions about the role of women in society and in the family, prostitution, and sexual behavior. In the pages of “Zhenskii Vestnik,” critics drew on literary themes to advocate for social equality and cooperation between men and women. Prostitution was viewed not as a fault, but as the misfortune of women who found themselves in brothels or on the streets against their will, as a result of their powerlessness. Discussing sexuality, critics called for chaste behavior for both women and men before marriage, and sexual promiscuity was considered detrimental to harmonious relationship. The criticism of “Zhenskii Vestnik” is considered in the context of the evolution of genre forms of criticism of the Silver Age, and a conclusion is drawn about its didactic nature and the continuation of the principles of the “real criticism” of N. Dobrolyubov.

Keywords: literary criticism, “real criticism”, women’s magazine, “Zhenskii Vestnik”, role models, prostitution, gender inequality.