Sexual Diversity in n Russian Literature: The Popular Novels of the Early 20th Century

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12990
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 02040:European literature-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University (2021-2022); Toho Gakuen School of Music (2020)
• Principal Investigator: Yasuno Sunao 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, 助教 (10866958)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ロシア文学 / ジェンダー / セクシュアリティ / 大衆小説

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to clarify how various sexualities that do not fit into the binary gender category, including homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender role reversal, were represented in Russian popular fiction at the beginning of the twentieth century and how they became popular.
This study shows that non-normative representations of sexuality in popular fiction were shaped by the influx of Western discourses on sexology and Russian thougts. It is also clear that novels depicting sexuality were disseminated to readers/consumers as a "commodity" through the magazine media in the midst of rapid urbanization and commercialization.

Free Research Field

ロシア文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、日本のロシア文学研究においてあまり手が付けられてこなかったナグロツカヤやヴェルビツカヤ、チャールスカヤといった女性作家の大衆小説に光を当て、それらをジェンダー研究、セクシュアリティ研究の視点から分析した点である。また、現在ロシアでは、いわゆる「同性愛宣伝禁止法」の改正によって、性的少数者への人権侵害が懸念される事態となっている。現代からおよそ百年前までさかのぼり、ロシアの性的少数者の文化を掘り起こすことによって、現在ロシアのLGBTQをめぐる諸問題を考察する糸口となるだろう。