Title of the article:

THE RUSSIAN BABUSHKA AS ONE OF THE ARCHETYPES OF RUSSIAN CULTURE

Author(s):

Anna N. Sebryuk

Information about the author/authors

Anna N. Sebryuk — PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Myasnitskaya St., 20, 101000 Moscow, Russia. E-mail: sebryuk.anna@gmail.com

Section

Theory and history of culture

Year

2017

Volume

Vol. 47

Pages

Pp. 40-50

Received

August 23, 2017

Date of publication

March 15, 2018

Index UDK

008

Index BBK

71.05(2)

Abstract

Due to its significant cultural and social meaning, the word Babushka has become one of the most recognizable English words of Russian origin. But what is behind this elderly woman for a Russian? The purpose of this paper is to shed light and understand the phenomenon of the Russian babushka and the importance of her role in Russian culture. The study was not specifically designed to evaluate factors of the reshaping of the babushka’s image throughout history. The paper attempts to examine a number of well-known novels and short stories written by prominent Russian authors of various times, both fictional and autobiographical, exploring the image of the Russian babushka. The author argues that the images of grandmothers described in popular literature exert significant influence on the shaping of cultural values and expectations of the Russians. The paper`s analyzes results in identifying of the main components of this social and cultural construction which remains consistent in the Russian lingual consciousness regardless recent changes in the system of family values.

Keywords

Russian culture; cultural archetype; Russian literature, grandmothers in Russian families.

References

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