An unexpected turn. The role of NA. Lukhmanova in closing of the magazine “Novy Put’ ”

Abstract

The article highlights some little-known facts about the controversy around the magazine “Novy Put’ ”, which served as a pretext for prohibiting the Religious-philosophical meetings. The authors of the article make an attempt of the reconstruction and historical-philological analysis of the debate, which had a great influence on the literary and philosophical life in the beginning the 20th century. An undoubted great role in that collision was played by N.A. Lukhmanova’s article “Who gave them the right?”, which was devoted to the ethical propriety of discussing the religious topics in the pages of popular publications. Largely against the author’s desire, the article was involved in a wide newspaper campaign opposing the magazine “Novy Put’ ”. Opponents skillfully used Lukhmanova’s article, interpreted it according to their goals, often paying much more attention to the writer’s personality than to her point of view. Two camps also arose around Lukhmanova: the prosecutors made traditionally characterizing women claims of the hysteria and incontinence and the defenders created an equally traditional image of an “innocent victim”. The authors bring to literature usage not only new information concerning polemics, but at the same time consider the role of women in journalism of that time, what, despite the appearance of an increasing number of women-writers in periodical, was often perceived with hostility according to then acting canons of Patriarchal society.