The theme of hope in the short story of Lyudmila Ulitskaya „Alice buys death”


Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of Lyudmila Ulitska's short story „Alice buys death” in the context of the theme of hope. The Russian writer's new collection of short stories is strongly imbued with philosophical questions about existence and non-existence. The current theme of hope strongly resonates in one of the stories in this collection, as evidenced by the following article. In the story „Alice buys death”, Ulitskaya used conventions typical of her work. The main characters of the story are “little people”, shown at the moment of crossing the border of life and death. Our analysis proved that the theme of hope, which is often used in literature, was also reflected on many levels in the work of the Russian writer. The main driving force of the story is love in its many manifestations, and the coming death gives hope for a new life in a literal and a figurative, more philosophical sense.


Keywords

Russian Literature; short stories; Lyudmila Ulitskaya; Alice buys death; hope

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Published : 2023-03-05


JeleńskaW. (2023). The theme of hope in the short story of Lyudmila Ulitskaya „Alice buys death”. Przegląd Rusycystyczny [Russian Studies Review], (1 (181), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.31261/pr.13545

Weronika Klaudia Jeleńska  werjel@amu.edu.pl
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu  Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2438-6852

Weronika Jeleńska – Doktorantka literaturoznawstwa w Instytucie Filologii Wschodniosłowiańskich UAM. Obecnie pracuje nad rozprawą doktorską poświęconą pedagogicznej rosyjskiej prozie kobiecej XXI wieku w aspekcie genderowym. Zainteresowania badawcze obejmują współczesną literaturę rosyjską (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem prozy kobiecej), pedagogiczne i edukacyjne aspekty literatury, oraz pedagogikę genderową. Publikowała na łamach takich czasopism jak Studia edukacyjne i Acta Polono-Ruthenica. Kontakt: werjel@amu.edu.pl.






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