IMAGE OF A FEMALE FIGHTER IN THE POETRY BY ОLENA TELIHA

Abstract

The original vision of the role of women in the struggle for national freedom is presented by the work of Olena Teliha, a Ukrainian diaspora writer. The work of the author is closely related to the Prague school - a community of artists who emigrated to Europe in the first half of the 20th century. The writers of this literary circle in their artistic and journalistic texts nurtured the ideas of nationalism and emphasized the need to form an effective Ukrainian, a man of rank, capable of defending and building an independent state. The lyrical and journalistic works of Olena Teliha also actualize these problems. The author believed that a woman's mission in the struggle for state sovereignty is to become a friend, and moral support for male warriors, and, if necessary, also to take up arms. The writer's artistic work has a feminist sound, but the author's views on the role and place of women in society are not entirely consistent with the ideas of the philosophy of feminism. The article focuses on the analysis of Olena Teliha's poems «To Men», «Answer», «Evening Song», «Evening», «I will not forgive the hand that beat me...», and «Everything awaits: both despair and resentment». The study of these works from the standpoint of feminist criticism proved that their lyrical heroine is a gentle and affectionate woman who is a life-giving force for a man-warrior, and defender of the state. At the same time, she is a morally strong and strong-willed person, capable of taking up arms at critical times and courageously defending her land on par with her husband. The woman in the author's poetry is ready to forgive her chosen one and the world everything, except the humiliation of her human dignity. The harmony of the world in her lyrics is based on the idea of parity in the relationship between men and women. Olena Teliha's lyrical works testify that the author was a national-centric feminist. A woman, in the author's understanding, must remain gentle with her husband, and devoted to him, and when the latter has a mission to protect his state, she must become a friend and ally in the struggle.