Description
This paper will consider the depiction of family violence in works of crime fiction by female writers working in the late imperial era in Russia (approximately 1875-1900). Female-authored crime fiction represents a doubly marginalised field of academic study which can nevertheless provide valuable insights into the issue of violence committed (and often permitted) within the strictly patriarchal confines of the Russian family in the imperial period. Crime fiction continues to be relatively little studied when compared to more canonical genres of nineteenth-century Russian literature in spite of the fact that it was hugely popular amongst readers at the time. Amongst Russophone crime writers of the late nineteenth century, women are only a small minority (only five authors in total). However, their work provides an original and highly valuable source of reflection and commentary on various issues of social history including: family relations (especially father-daughter relationships, marriage); female attitudes towards the post-1860 judicial landscape; economic disenfranchisement and the transactional nature of many male-female relationships; sex work; and the experience of ethnic and religious minorities. This paper will discuss the depiction of violence within marriage and romantic relationships in two fictional works: Liudmila Simonova’s 1883 novel Убила (She Killed) and Kapitolina Nazar’eva’s 1894 novella Мститель (The Avenger). Historical contextualisation will be provided for the analysis of both works through reference to laws relating to marriage which made divorce and legal separation impossible in nineteenth-century imperial Russia. Simonova’s almost entirely forgotten novel presents a horrifyingly compelling account of the apparent ubiquity and inescapability of violence within marriages in non-metropolitan imperial Russia. My discussion will consider how the use of narrative mirroring – where elements of the story pertaining to the main couple depicted are reflected in other couples – succeeds in provoking a sense of claustrophobia and foreboding in the reader. Attention will also be paid to the novel’s reflection of the sociohistorical reality of the impact of the internal passport system on restricting a woman’s freedom of movement and ability to escape an abusive marriage. Nazareva’s The Avenger is intriguing for its nuanced portrayal of a female character who is initially presented in the rather clichéd terms of a femme fatale. However, Nazar’eva succeeds in defying expectations by having the female protagonist function as a compelling denunciation of the consequences of male (sexual) violence towards women upon society more broadly. It is hoped that the focus on female-authored works of popular fiction will represent a valuable adjunct to historical / legal approaches to the subject of imperial experiences of family violence.| Period | 16 Dec 2025 |
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| Held at | University of Helsinki, Finland |
| Degree of Recognition | International |