The theatre of Vira Vovk: space of the Ukrainian women’s movement and the pathos of the Ukrainian national struggle.

Шовкопляс, Галина Євгенівна (2023) The theatre of Vira Vovk: space of the Ukrainian women’s movement and the pathos of the Ukrainian national struggle. Наш Український Дім. Науково-популярний часопис для вчителів України та діаспори (2). pp. 41-44.

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Abstract

The theatre of Vira Vovk: space of the Ukrainian women’s movement and the pathos of the Ukrainian national struggle. The Ukrainian diaspora writer Vira Vovk provides a second alternate title to her play ‘The Triune Wreath’ (also translated as ‘Triple Garland’), calling it the ‘Halycian Women’s Interwar Chronicle’. In a certain capacity, the play is an answer to the criticism that Ukrainian feminism is not a grassroots phenomenon but an “imported” one from the West. In The Triune Wreath, the feminist discourse both retains its direction and convincing authenticity while also containing fairly realistic and contemporary ideas concerning the role of women in society at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It is well known that the beginning of the 20th century was a meaningful and important period for the global women’s movement, with many achievements and vibrant milestones. Following the First World War, women won the right to vote and be elected to parliament. The countries where this was achieved were few, but it was the first of many victories. Yet in the 1930-1940s, the women’s rights movement nearly disappeared, suppressed by a period of global totalitarianism. Totalitarian regimes know only how to exploit the contributions of women while disregarding women’s rights. The renewal of the women’s rights movement took place only towards the end of the 20th century. In Ukraine, the achievements of feminist organizations were left undiscussed for so long that when they reappeared in the late 20th century, these institutions were accused of being foreign and harmful to the struggle for Ukrainian identity and freedom. This is explored in the research of Ukrainian scholar Vira Ageyeva. She adds that all the calls at that time to return to the “patriarchal paradise of old” either had a subversive agenda or stemmed from poor knowledge of contemporary history and politics. The name of the play was chosen purposefully: it is a reference to the ‘First Wreath’ - the first women’s literary almanac published in Lviv in 1887. It united the literary works of female writers from the two main parts of Ukraine: Western Ukraine and Dnieper Ukraine (Naddniprianshchyna). The almanac was edited by prominent Ukrainian female figures of the time: Natalia Kobrynska and Olena Pchilka, at their own expense. The almanac was quite successful in Halycia (Halychyna) and was sold in bookshops in Kyiv. Vira Vovk empowers and “triples” this First Wreath by continuing its mission via three generations of women. The three main characters are women related by blood: the grandmother (Kasunia), the mother (Halia), and the daughter (Maryna). The didactics of the author are clear: the women’s rights movement in Ukraine is not “imported” but instead has its roots in Ukrainian history and is connected to the development of Ukrainian society. The main characters battle against the double marginalization of Ukrainian women: gender- based oppression and the oppression of the national identity of Ukrainian women. These two lines of struggle are connected and expand from generation to generation. The Space of the Woman, in Vira Vovk’s view, is the entire world. But it should be noted that the characters written by Vovk are always exceptional people. Mykhailyna Kotsiubynska, a researcher who reviewed Vira Vovk’s works in detail in her essay collection ‘Moyi Obriyi’ (My Horizons), states that Vira’s characters are ‘chosen people’ with ‘principles and a spine’, as is common in dramatic poems connected to historical-patriotic contemporary reality. Vira Vovk forms her characters to represent heroes of Ukrainian history, fighters for its independence and social freedoms. The protagonists of the Triune Wreath are no exception: these are strong women with clear ideology and principles, whose life trajectories are intertwined not only with the Ukrainian women’s rights movement but also with the historical struggle of Ukraine for its independence.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	жіночий рух; національна боротьба; закиди щодо фемінізму як імпортованого в Україну явища; нагадування про перший в Україні жіночий альманах; дидактика п'єси; боротьба проти подвійної маргіналізації жінки -українки; три покоління жіночого українського руху; деталізація і реалістичність.
Subjects:	Це архівна тематика Київського університету імені Бориса Грінченка > Статті у журналах > Інші (не входять ні до фахових, ні до наукометричних баз)
Divisions:	Це архівні підрозділи Київського університету імені Бориса Грінченка > Факультет української філології, культури і мистецтва > Кафедра світової літератури
Depositing User:	доцент Галина Євгенівна Шовкопляс
Date Deposited:	17 Jun 2024 11:25
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2024 11:25
URI:	https://elibrary.kubg.edu.ua/id/eprint/49189

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