The рlay "Without a dowry" and the image of Larisa in Russian literary studies

Abstract

“Without a Dowry” by A.N. Ostrovsky is a new genre of psychological drama in Russian dramaturgy of the 19th-century. In Russia, the study of this play and the image of its heroine has a long history, with Russian researchers offering various interpretations. This article mainly explores the perceptions of the play “Without a Dowry” and the understanding of Larisa's image by Russian literary scholars. The analysis reveals contradictory interpretations of the heroine's image: some view her as a romantic, poetic figure with features of the Heavenly Maiden archetype, akin to the image of Katerina, a prisoner of the "dark kingdom". In contrast, others see her as a will less, weak, naive, inactive, and exalted heroine. Identifying the peculiarities of Larisa's reception in Russian literary studies is a necessary step for studying the reception of Ostrovsky's play in China and expanding these perceptions. This is because there is a tradition in Chinese literary studies to view Larisa's image as a variation of Katerina's image from “The Storm.” Moreover, in the context of China's historical and cultural situation in the 1940s, “Without a Dowry” is often understood as a social play.