Author’s name:
Olga B. Lukmanova – Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Abstract:
The purpose of this article is to study gender stereotypes in the detective prose of Dorothy L. Sayers and analyze their functions and ways of their inclusion in the fictional narrative. The relevance and novelty of the research lie in 1) linguists’ general interest in stereotypes as an important cognitive mechanism of basic conceptualization of gender as well as linguistic actualization of the most representative characteristics of masculinity and femininity within fictional discourse; 2) the general socio-cultural significance of issues related to gender; and 3) the fact that the work of D. L. Sayers is yet to receive sufficient attention from Russian literary scholars. With the help of analytical-descriptive and historical-cultural methods, as well as contextual structural-typological and structural-semiotic analysis of the text, the author examines the use of gender stereotypes in the detective prose of D. L. Sayers and comes to the conclusion that in her detective prose Sayers uses gender stereotypes both in the form of direct descriptive and prescriptive statements of characters regarding gender norms and expectations, and in the form of contextual gender implications of different types. The inclusion of gender stereotypes in the narrative allows Sayers to paint a convincing picture of the English society in the 1920s and 30s and to reflect the concurrent shift in gender roles and expectations towards a new understanding of masculinity and femininity. In addition, the inclusion of gender stereotypes in the internal and external speech of her characters allows Sayers to give them a more extended and complex characterization and to construct a balanced and multifaceted character system by both playing with typical narrative patterns of the detective genre, built on a simplistic bipolar dichotomy between men and women, and building parallels and conflicts between the characters depending on their complicated attitudes towards gender stereotypes. By basing the central riddle of one of her novels on traditional gender stereotypes, Sayers raises a range of social, philosophical, and theological issues, reflecting the changing norms of British society and seeking to demonstrate a genuinely Christian understanding of gender differences and roles. Addressing the issue of gender within the paradigm of Biblical “subversive orthodoxy,” Sayers postulates the importance of truly equal and harmonious relationships between men and women and uses her key protagonists to embody her interpretation of an authentically Christian view of masculinity/femininity and related gender norms and expectations.
| Section | ARTISTIC TEXT AT THE INTERSECTION OF CULTURES |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2024-67-3-116-134 |
| Downloads | 107 |
| Key words | Dorothy Leigh Sayers; detective genre; gender stereotypes; masculinity; femininity; subversive orthodoxy |