GENDER STRUCTURE IN THE "DEFICIT" NOVEL BY IVAN SHCHEGOLIKHIN

Abstract

The gender structure of Kazakhstani writer Ivan Shchegolikhin's novel "Deficit" reflects intrafamilial gender conflict, as well as the masculine gender identities of the protagonist and the author. The novel's masculine-feminine field is equally divided between the surgeon Malyshev and his wife, Marina. Externally, the protagonist's masculine gender is fully realized, but internally, it is completely undermined. Masculine and feminine gender in the novel are characterized through portraiture (costume), chronotope (home, surgical ward), and object details. The protagonist is presented within a masculine and professional environment, in which feminine characteristics are minimally blurred.