GENDER AND ARCHETYPE AS COMPONENTS OF THE CHARACTER ANALYSIS IN “DEMIAN” AND “NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND” BY HERMANN HESSE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of gender in the works of the German writer Hermann Hesse, in particular the gender roles and archetypes of anima and animus traced in characters of his novels. During the research, the role of the androgynous personality in society has been clarified. The anima and animus as the most important definitions in gender studies are singled out from the general system of archetypes by Carl Gustav Jung. Features and ways of synthesis of masculine and feminine principles in the human psyche are characterized. The analysis of the works of Hermann Hesse includes the novels “Demian” (1919) and “Narcissus and Goldmund” (1930). With the definition of the concepts, the presence of elements of the psychoanalysis theory and gender studies in the works of Hermann Hesse has been proved. The characters of the novel have been analyzed and characterized in terms of masculinity and femininity. Due to this research, we have been able to clearly define the system of images from the perspective of gender, which makes it possible to use literary works in gender issues more confidently and to characterize the writing activity in a more structured way against the background of gender studies.