Women in Literature
The concept of women in literature is frequently discussed due to the fact that the realm of their rights underwent profound changes, especially at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. A lyric poem Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson published in 1890 and a short story by Anton Chekhov The Lady with the Dog of the 1899 year are chosen for an analysis in terms of the eras, places and sources of influence on the formation of the women’s image in literature. The issue of discrimination of females caused by the patriarchal system is conveyed in both texts under analysis reflecting the role of a weak, dependent but charming woman in American and Russian societies.
The era of the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century has contributed greatly to the formation of the image of a woman which become endowed with new opportunities and possibilities. During this period of time women receive more rights in terms of education, family life and work. Divorce is legalized, more positions suiting female are created, women receive the right to vote, and the first women’s right’s convention of 1848 year at Seneca Falls is introduced (Local Histories). This era has greatly contributed to the creation of an image of a woman thus making it more popular and widespread. For instance, female characters are central in the poetry of Dickinson, as the bigger part of her poems is written in the form of self-reflexion. Similarly, Chekhov creates many female images in his short stories and novels. The newspaper editor Aleksey Suvorin explains such choice by the fact that Chekhov as a “man of flint…he’s spoilt, his amourpropre is enormous” (Boyd, N.p.). Thus, his immense love towards ladies in the real life finds a vivid embodiment in The Lady with The Dog.
Chekhov describes Anna Sergeyevna as a thinking and enlightened person. Although the story renders the idea that the woman is considered to be only a supplement to a husband, and an object that creates a good background,“[…] bad, low woman; I despise myself and don’t attempt to justify myself”, the female’s understanding of her position in the society changes throughout the whole story (Ebooks.adelaide.edu.au. N.p). Anna Sergeenva tries to transform her life, make own decisions and dispose of the prejudice imposed by the beliefs of the Russian society of the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. This feature is vividly expressed in the construction of the character under consideration and renders the key problems through the image of a woman in literature.
The role of woman in Emily Dickinson’s poetry also renders the experience of the females in the patriarchal society. This feature is peculiar to her poems because of the strong influence of the women’s rights movement on the author. Despite the fact that the female character in Dickinson’s poem Because I Could not Stop for Death is described as a strong and …
