Portrait of the Wandering Generation in the Novel by Elena Posvyatovskaya “Vazhenka”

Abstract

Aim. Through the analysis of the acute plot twists from the novel about the life of youth in the 1980s, to identify the features of the psychological portrait of the late Soviet generation, in which, within the framework of this work, qualities of spiritual and value instability were manifested.
Methodology. The basis is a structural and semantic analysis of the work with an emphasis on the plot links reflecting the psychology and value orientations of the characters. The plot logic determines the originality of the author’s position, 1980s generation
Results. Using the example of the life of a young provincial girl in Leningrad during the pre-perestroika era, Elena Posvyatovskaya revealed the total rootlessness and instability of the ethical and spiritual values of the generation of the 1980s. Before our eyes, the smart and outstanding heroine Ira Vazhina turns into a moral monster, the existence of which she did not even suspect in herself. However, her environment (primitive and carnal at the beginning and intelligent at the end of the work) cannot fundamentally oppose anything to Irina’s survival strategy. It itself is spiritually unprotected, does not know the truth and therefore acts as a victim next to the energetic Vazhenka. Comparing the research of scientists about people of the era of stagnation and the text of the novel, the author of the article concludes that E. Posvyatovskaya painted a portrait of a wandering generation in it. Nevertheless, the self-reflection of the Brezhnev-era generation that took place in the first quarter of the 21st century suggests that healthy principles of the national spiritual code appeared in it, albeit not immediately.
Research implications. Practical significance is associated with interest in the work of a little-studied author who, with the help of plot logic, seeks to direct the reader towards the search for genuine meanings and unshakable Christian values.