M.V. Krestovskaya’s works and the “women’s question” in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

M.V. Krestovskaya (1862–1910) is an almost forgotten Russian writer whose creative activity occurred at the turn of the 19–20 centuries. Her works are a rich source of various information about this period, capturing current trends and fundamental changes in the cultural and socio-economic life of Russia and Europe. In particular, Krestovskaya’s creative biography is inextricably linked with the ideas of the contemporary emancipatory women’s movement and the problems it posed to the society at that time. Various facets of the “women’s question” (individual and psychological, family and household, socio-historical and philosophical) are reflected in the ideological-thematic, plot and figurative levels of the writer’s works, as well as in her literary behavior. The author of the article analyzes Krestovskaya’s views on various aspects of the “women’s question”, referring to her fiction prose, journalism and extensive diary heritage, reveals the characteristic features of her work, explores the typology of characters and draws attention to the forms of psychologism inherent in the writer’s art laboratory. The article shows that the focus on women’s topics is not a tribute to “fashion”, but one of the features that are organically inherent in Krestovskaya’s world view and writing, which are devoid of feminist intolerance, despite the writer’s sympathy for the ideas of the women’s movement.

Maria Krestovskaya, women’s question, history of Russian literature, women writers, the turn of the 19–20 centuries, women’s movement in Russia, gender relations

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