THE FEMINIST DIMENSION OF SOFIIA YABLONSKA’S TRAVELOGUES

Abstract

The study aims to outline the feminist dimension of S. Yablonska’s travelogues and reveal the peculiarities of her gender identity in the cultural and historical context of the early 20th century. Achieving this aim involves the following tasks: 1) to determine the place of S. Yablonska’s gender values in the cultural context of the epoch; 2) to identify feminist priorities in the travelogues “The Charm of Morocco”, “Far Horizons”, and “From the Country of Rice and Opium”. Research methods: theoretical (to review scientific literature on the research problem); biographical (to reveal the impacts of the author’s biography on her literary works); empirical (to analyze travelogues); strategies of feminist criticism (to measure the degree of “feminine” arrangement of texts). Results. The uniqueness of S. Yablonska’s figure in the cultural and historical context of the first half of the 20th century lies primarily in the fact that she created an original model of gender identity that, on the one hand, was based on progressive feminist viewpoints associated with advocating social equality of rights for both sexes, and, on the other hand, relied on traditional family values, which enabled her to fulfill the roles of wife and mother of two sons. Unlike such outstanding feminists as S. De Beauvoir or N. Kobrynska, she did not believe that these woman’s functions kill her freedom. Her life rather illustrated the possibility of a middle option between extreme feminism and patriarchal notions of the woman’s destination. It was this unique model that allowed S. Yablonska to reach the peak of her personal and professional self-realization, gain diverse experience in intercultural communication, become the author of valuable literary works, and create a happy family. Without directly declaring her beliefs, she made a substantial contribution in breaking social stereotypes about the established paradigm of women’s gender roles inherent in the first half of the 20th century and promoted the development of the image of a successful woman that perfectly fits the system of values of the modern era.