“Us them”: trends in the development of Russian and Belarusian dramaturgy of the last third of the XX ― beginning of the XXI century

The article focuses on the features of the dramatic process in Belarus and Russia, studied in a comparative aspect of the Soviet (1970s-1980s) and post-Soviet (1990s 2010s) periods. Our goal is to identify common and different in the dramaturgical systems of related literatures through the prism of thekey topos of the artistic structure of the works of Russian and Belarusian authors hero, conflict, chronotope. Methods of comparative studies (comparative analysis of the literary process), as well as historical and literary methods are used to implement the tasks set. The material includes the works of more than 200 Belarusian and Russian playwrights. Russian literature (A. Vampilov, L. Petrushevskaya, N. Kolyada) and Belarusian literature (A. Makayonok, E. Popova, A. Dudarev), separate directions (new wave of Russian dramaturgy of the 1970s-1980s), stages of dramaturgical life (new drama of the 1990s-2010s), aesthetically controversial development intentions (dramaturgical practice of netuteyshy in Belarusian post-Soviet dramaturgy) are given special attention. The scientific novelty of the research is predetermined by the fact that for the first time in literary studies, a comparative analysis of the dynamics of the dramatic process in Belarus and Russia has been undertaken for such a long time the last four decades.

GASTRONOMICAL CODE AS ELEMENT OF EVERYDAY LIFE POETICS IN DRAMA TEXTS (ANTON CHEKHOV’S THREE SISTERS AND BETH HENLEY’S CRIMES OF THE HEART)

The paper sets out to explore the functions of food discourse in the plays Three Sisters by Anton Chekhovand Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley. Based on the critically established continuity between the two plays, the paperlooks at the ways the dramatists capitalize on food imagery to achieve their artistic goals. It seemed logical to discuss thealimentary practices within the framework of everyday life studies, moved to the forefront of literary scholarship by theanthropological turn in the humanities. Enhanced by semiotic approach, this perspective enables one to understand foodproducts and consumption manners as performing a variety of functions in each play. Most obviously, they are instrumentalin creating the illusion of «everydayness» vital for new drama. Then, for Chekhov, food comes to epitomize thespiritless materiality of contemporary life, while in Henley’s play it is predominantly used, in accordance with the play’sfeminist agenda, as a grotesque substitute for the lack of human affection. Relying upon the fundamental cultural distinctionbetween everyday and non-everyday makes it possible to compare representations of festive occasions in the twoplays seen through the gastronomical lens of «eating together». Despite substantial differences, the emphases on alimentarypractices in the plays serve to realize the inexhaustible dramatic potential inherent in the minutiae of quotidian life.

THE MODERN «WOMAN’S DRAMA» IN THE CONTEXT OF «THE NEW DRAMA»: THE ETERNAL TOPIC OF THE WOMAN’S FATE

Статья посвящена современному исследованию такого явления в отечественной драматургии, как «новая драма», в частности, литературоведческому анализу драмы О.Михайловой «История одного преступления». The article is devoted to the modern investigation of such a phenomenon in the Russian drama as “the New Drama”, particularly, to the literary analysis of O. Mikhailova’s drama “The History of One Crime”.

Post-Soviet new drama: macro- and microcosm of Konstantin Steshik

The authors focus on the phenomenon of drama written by Konstantin Steshik, a young Belarusian playwright who writes in Russian. Describing and analysing this phenomenon is the aim of the researchers. The lack of research into the playwright's work is the reason for the novelty of the study. The relevance is determined by the demand for Steshik's plays in contemporary Russian theatre. The playwright's creative competence is proved by his numerous victories in Russian and international drama contests. The authors consider Stesik's work in the unity of the playwright's macro- and microcosm: the inner world of the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in. One of the authors' important tasks is to determine the foundation for Steshik's work. A historical and theatrical overview from Soviet Belarusian drama to the works of the authors associated with the well-known Belarusian Free Theatre association reveals not exactly the foundation, but the soil on which the phenomenon involved mainly grows. The authors note the close connection of Steshik's work to the phenomenon of post-Soviet «new drama». With its appearance on the territory of the CIS countries, social problems come to the forefront in contemporary theatre, and there arises a theme of reflection on the past, both in a positive and a negative way. In the final part of the article, the authors analyse the peculiarities of Steshik's poetics. The analysis made it possible to register the striking artistic uniqueness of the playwright's creative style. Steshik's plays clearly expand the scope of the post-Soviet «new drama». His voice stands out against the sharp social discourse of contemporary playwrights. Vivid metaphors, close to the traditions of «magic realism» literature, are mixed with psychological naturalism in an original way