TOPOS OF DEVIANT FEMININITY IN THE NOVELS OF CH. DICKENS AND F. M. DOSTOEVSKY

He Jiafu

The article examines the features of deviant behavior of female characters by Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky by means of comparative analysis in the socio-cultural and historical context. The subject of scientific analysis can be designated as a topos, a stable image of destructive femininity in literary works of two writers, its discursive-logical and literary tools. Using the example of the works of Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky, a comparative characteristic is carried out, similar and distinctive features in the construction of the plot line and character arcs are highlighted. It is stated that a comparative analysis of the deviance of female characters reveals an understanding of the culture and narratives of society, and the creation of the image of sociopathic women can be interpreted as a form of resistance to patriarchal discourses of power.

Keywords:deviant behavior, topos of deviant femininity, Charles Dickens, F. Dostoevsky, female images in literature, comparative analysis