Linguistics, feminism, and Three Sisters

Abstract

Discourse analysis theories, along with feminist studies theories, can be applied to the four main female characters in the Russian drama Three Sisters, written in 1900 by Anton Chekhov. In this presentation, I show how these characters, living in late nineteenth-century Russia, a patriarchy that restricts women both legally and socially, demonstrate agency, autonomy, and power despite their discriminatory society. Using methodology from various theories of discourse analysis and feminist studies, such as framing, positioning, facework, speech acts, and agency, I present evidence that these women find ways to establish a positive identity. This study contributes to the field of discourse analysis and expands the textual sources of such analysis to nineteenth-century Russian drama. It also contributes to the subfield of Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis by demonstrating how linguistic strategies can be a positive force against a restrictive environment.