Ivan and Marya Shatov in the Novel "Demons" by Dostoevsky: Ideology VS Genderology

Abstract

The relevance of the research topic is related to the modern interest in gender issues, which are being considered in various sciences, including literary studies. Literature provides rich material for the study of male-female relations in cultural and social space. The novelty lies in the study of the writer's artistic genderology, i.e. Dostoevsky's interest in the peculiarities of male-female relations, which are manifested in the construction of plots, the formation of image systems, and are connected with the ideological and philosophical orientation of the work. The aim of the article is to show how gender is transformed under the influence of an ideological component, using the example of the novel "Demons", which is the most saturated with ideological and political issues. The relationship in the Shatov family is analysed, in which both the man and the woman are influenced by certain ideas. During the analysis, several tasks had to be solved: to determine the nature of the ideas that each of the characters professes; to analyse how the plot of their family relationships develops; to trace the development of the characters' relationships, their liberation from the ideological burden, and to determine what outlines the pattern of the tragic ending. The Shatov family is an example of a unique family unit in Dostoevsky's work. In their relationship, gender was first distorted under the influence of ideologism, and as a result, for a brief moment, both reach the level of spiritual connection with each other, where they rise above the feminine and masculine.