The echo of Nikolai Chernishvesky's "What shall we do?!" in the works of Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, and Alexander Kazbegi

Abstract

Nikolai Chernishvesky left a strong mark on the Georgian sixties with his aesthetics and the novel "What is to be done?!" Not only the ideas of the novel, but also the characters were reflected in Ilia Chvchavadze's "Traveller's Letters", "Is this man a human being?!" and "The Widow of Otarashvili". Also, we find an echo of this novel in "Love" - the play by Akaki Tsereteli and in the Al. Kazbegi’s "The Family of David". In this regard, "The Family of David " is particularly interesting. In this play, the interesting, but subtle and eventually penitent character deceives and ruins pretty young orphan girl Nino with the utopian ideas of Chernyshsky from the novel "What is to be done?!" about the possibility of women’s future freedom to gain her livelihood. It can be seen that the people of this era still considered it dangerous to raise the issue of women by Chernyshevsky, because in their opinion, life was not yet prepared for the emancipation of women.