Neurotic personality in the Novella/Sonechka by Lyudmila Ulitskaya

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Thera Widyastuti

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Born on February 21st, 1943 to an educated Jewish family, Lyudmila Ulitskaya is one of several award-winning contemporary Russian writers. As a postmodern writer who incorporates elements of realism into her works, Ulitskaya is renowned for her depiction of the problems of daily existence such as inner conflicts, domestic disputes, mental health issues, and sexism. Her novella /Sonechka was first published in 1992 in the noncommercial electronic magazine/New World and was nominated for the Russian Booker Prize in 1993. It presents problems pertaining to domestic and psychological issues from the perspectives of its female characters. This paper applies Karen Horney's Social Psychoanalytic theory to the analysis of /Sonechka 's treatment of the abovementioned problems. To achieve this objective, the social and cultural settings of the novella are taken into account and the characterization and social interactions of Tanya and Jasia are scrutinized. The research problem this paper endeavors to resolve concerns the lack of clarity about the context and development of Tanya and Jasia's personalities in Lyudmila Ulitskaya's novella/Sonechka. This study aims to elucidate the reasons for Tanya and Jasia's characterization. To this end, it utilizes the descriptive analytic method to examine the problems mentioned above. The investigation employs two investigative approaches: intrinsic (character, characterization, and social setting) and extrinsic (literature sociology and literature psychology) with the purpose of analyzing the problem at hand. Broadly speaking, the main themes explored in the novella revolve around the characters and the particular problems faced by the women. The events described in the novella take place in the Soviet era. The first of the two characters who form the focus of the present study, Tanya, is an only child and her parents' different, perhaps opposing, approaches to education contribute to her growth into an aggressive individual. The second character of interest, Jasia, exhibits a compliant but neurotic personality. Having lost a protective parental figure in childhood, Jasia evinces the neurotic tendency of "moving toward people" she thinks can protect her. The eventual domination of this tendency causes her to develop a submissive personality.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProblematising Representation in Popular Culture
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages165-177
Number of pages13
ISBN (Print)9781536179583
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Karen horney
  • Neurotic
  • Personality
  • Social psychoanalytic
  • Woman's life

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