LEXICO-SEMANTIC MEANS OF DEPICTING FEMALE IMAGES INALITERARY TEXT (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE NOVEL BYM.E.SALTYKOV-SHCHEDRIN «GENTLEMEN GOLOVLEV»)

In M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel «Gentlemen Golovlevs», female images play a key role, representing multifaceted and tragic figures whose characters are closely intertwined with the general atmosphere of decline and degradation of the noble family. Special attention is paid to the images of Arina Petrovna and Anninka, each of which embodies certain facets of women’s fate in the conditions of the Russian reality of the 19th century. The image of Arina Petrovna, the mother of the family, is revealed through such characteristics as boundless authority, manifested in a steady desire for control and dominance, rigidity bordering on cruelty, as well as deep-rooted prudence and passionate love for material wealth, which become defining in her philosophy of life. Anninka appears as the embodiment of weakness, inability to resist the pressure of the environment and her own inner fears, which leads to a complete loss of individuality and passive resignation to fate. Shchedrin’s choice of lexemes describing both the appearance and behavioral patterns of the heroines allows the reader to penetrate into the psychological essence of the images, expose the hidden motives of their actions, and reveal the true causes of their tragic fate.