Jane Dystel said no.
Here’s the beginning of what I’m working on currently. It will be out of my life, for better or worse, by next weekend. I’m also pulling together the last disparate bits for Wiscon. Gonna need an extension cord…
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The Master and Margarita has had a checkered reception. Originally banned in its native country, it eventually became a rallying point for the liberal branch of the Russian Communist party (Barratt 14). Two novels in one, it has been analyzed as a religious commentary, a rejection of the materialist world view (Barratt 16), a parody, and a romance. In this paper, I wish to focus on Margarita, suggesting that she is worthy of a second look as a feminist character.
My fascination with the novel began when I was introduced to Bulgakov through a trip to his museum in St. Petersburg while on a Fulbright-Hayes GPA to Russia. In 2006, Bulgakov’s work was beloved by the Russian people. In 2007, a Russian citizen broke into Bulgakov’s museum and destroyed significant parts of his archives. Bulgakov’s life, works, and political views continue to be controversial.
Bulgakov began the novel in 1928. By 1937, the novel was finished for the fourth time “Bulgakov’s archives preserve eight versions of the novel which took 26 years to be published” (Natov 92). Currently, two separate versions of the novel are published in English. Bulgakov’s third wife, Elena Sergeyvna edited the novel after his death, and published it posthumously (Curtis 132).
The idea of Margarita as a feminist character has not been examined much in the literature. Margarita has been considered a romantic character and an idealized woman in a patriarchal society. It is hard to know what Bulgakov’s intent for Margarita was, as his biographical commentaries on his work were few. There is strong evidence of a link between his third wife Elena Sergeyvna and the character (Natov 102). Margarita is a character of action. “Whereas [the Master] represents primarily a state of being, she represents in large measure a course of activity” (Ericson 111).
This paper lays out some discussion of feminism, focuses on previous interpretations of the character of Margarita, and finally applies feminist criticism to Margarita’s actions in the novel.
