Means of Representing the Mother in N. S. Leskov’s Novel “The Life of a Peasant Woman”

Aim. To identify and analyze the ideological and aesthetic role of the means of representing the image of the mother in Nikolai Leskov’s novel “The Life of a Peasant Woman.”

Methodology. The article uses the analysis of lexical and phraseological means to examine how N. S. Leskov presented the characteristics of the Russian peasant woman of the 19^th century as a mother in his novel “The Life of a Peasant Woman.” The article evaluates Leskov’s multifaceted approach to the resources of artistic representation of the truthful image of a mother, which make it possible to discuss the author’s conceptualization of the concept of “mother” in the peasant serf family of the 19^th century. The study employs methods of observation, description, analysis, continuous and targeted sampling of linguistic means, as well as lexicographic and contextual-stylistic analysis.

Results. It is shown that, using purposefully selected linguistic means, the heroine of the story, Mavra Petrovna, is depicted by N. S. Leskov as a hardworking and caring woman who can have good feelings with both her tyrannical husband, and her daughter, although her role in her daughter’s life was insignificant since she was powerless to influence Nastya’s fate or prevent the tragedy. The writer does not use any explicit or implicit language with the semantics of ‘happiness’, instead focusing on words with the semantics of ‘patience’ and ‘emotion’. The difficult fate of the Russian woman-mother becomes clear to readers thanks to the means of predication that N. S. Leskov used to create his character. This confirms the significance of the identified resources for representing the author’s implicit evaluative position.

Research implications. The results of the work can be used in the preparation of lectures and practical classes on linguo-culturology and the language of fiction in universities, including those in China. The study expands our understanding of the role of predication in revealing the character’s image and identifying the author’s assessment.

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