Gender Aspects of Shio Aragvispireli's Stories

Abstract

Gender, which has changed from a grammatical term to a socio-cultural construct, is one of the indicators of the development of the society today. Besides, it is a topical scientific problem and is studied intensively from social, philological, economic, biological and various other perspectives. Gender theories developed considerably in XX century based on the studies by Simone de Beauvoir, Lévi-Strauss, Freud, Jacques Lacan, and other well-known scientists. These works cover philosophical, anthropological, psychological and historical aspects as well, and show the complexity and diversity of this issue, which is due to the fact that in this or that socio-economic and political system the stereotypes of female and male role models are closely linked to the values and cultural traditions of the society itself.

The perception of the social functions of men and women formed over the centuries was related to the images of women as weak creatures, caregivers, mothers, and of men – as strong creatures, protectors and leaders. Such determination of the historical roles of men and women reveals the masculine-feminine binarity, the inherently contradictory nature of this opposition.

In the second half of XIX century the issue of the status of women is particularly acute in America and Europe. At the same time, the discussions around the gender situation in Georgia can also be observed, which was the result of the spread of liberal views, socio-economic and cultural-educational changes in the society. The topic of equality between women and men is discussed in the publicist letters by famous Georgian figures of the second half of XIX century: Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Sergey Meskhi, Niko Nikoladze, etc. They respond to and argue with European thinkers, and consider the role of women and men to be equally important in the advancement of society and make the harsh reality the subject of criticism.

In the second half of XIX century, the issue of women's emancipation was directly related to women's education. Famous and less famous Georgian figures agreed that personal freedom had to be based on education. In general, when writing about these problems, Georgian publicists and writers foresaw the difficulties that would arise as women became more active in the public arena. Georgian figures thought it was unfair that men and women did not have the equal rights. It is no coincidence that in his letter “Motherhood and Women's Education” Ilia Chav­chavadze focuses on human education in general. According to Ilia, education helps both men and women to better define their duties, civic interests, state and family obligations.

Sergey Meskhi's famous letter – “What Have Women Lost and What Are They Looking for?” is significant in many ways. It is clear from the publication that the idea of equality between men and women is generally acceptable and no one opposes it, but it is not easy for women to overcome the existing inertia. The publicist draws attention to the extent of the stereotype established as a result of the gender perceptions characteristic of the society during that period.

The critical review of the famous publicist and public figure, Niko Nikoladze – “Our Writing” is noteworthy. The author makes a special mention of the Georgian women and highly evaluates the literary collection for reading translated and published by them. Niko Nikoladze attaches great importance to the role of fiction in changing public consciousness and advises Georgian women to translate works created on the theme of romantic love, because he believes that such works help men to overcome their animal instincts, women – to gain respect, change the way of family life, the relationship between a husband and a wife, children’s fate.

Fiction not only participates in the change of public consciousness, first of all, it preserves the attitude, views, opinions characteristic of this society, describes their specific manifestations from different perspectives, creates a comprehensive picture to understand the character of this or that era, to grasp its essence.

The complexity of the inevitable and necessary process of changing the social role of women in the society, which is full of traditional, and often of false clichés, has been well demonstrated by the Georgian literature at the turn of XIX-XX centuries. The works of Georgian writers of this period reflected the stereotypes characteristic of the society at that time, which made a person subject to the will of others and did not identify him/her as an individual. In such a situation, gaining personal freedom by a woman, along with education, required courage as well.

One of the famous prose writers of the late XIX and the early of XX century, Shio Aragvispireli, depicts the lack of the values of the contemporary society through different artistic planes, always connecting to the essence of humanity, and the layers of a man’s psyche. This viewpoint also encompasses the gender issue which is often used by the writer to show discrimination against women and he presents it as a cornerstone of the moral dilemma. However, the writer never looks at it from only one perspective. In this case, he depicts the society of his time from many angles, brings forward the unfair nature of a number of existing stereotypical views.

In the stories by the writer, the gender issue is presented considering several aspects and artistically reflects the influence of the firmly established views in the society of those times on the life of an individual.

When writing on the painful topic of the unjust society, the dehumanization of a person Shio Aragvispireli, along with other authors at the turn of XIX-XX centuries (Eg. Ninoshvili, D. Kldiashvili, Ek. Gabashvili...), pays special attention to the plight of women and the factors leading to the latter, gives us an idea about the gender awareness and existing stereotypes in the society. At the same time, with his characteristic psychologism, he depicts the difficulties that exist in the patriarchal society. Aragvispireli promotes the breaking of established views, critical judgment and unique reflection through showing gender inequality and discrimination of women (economic, social, personal). The fact that the gender issue is linked to the problems of social and rank inequality and injustice makes it clear that it cannot be solved without social progress. At the same time, it highlights the inherent internal contradictions between masculine and feminine which contributes to the ongoing relevance of the issue.