Why “Turgenev’s Young Woman” Isn’t a Compliment: Many Carelessly Use This Offensive Phrase

We are all very different – and beautiful in our own way. Some girls are compared to Hollywood actresses. And others – with the heroines of past centuries novels.

In the West, women are compared to the description of heroines of legendary books such as, for example, Scarlett O’Hara (“Gone with the Wind”), Rebecca Sharpe (“Vanity Fair”) or Esmeralda (“Cathedral Our -Lady”) . In our country it has become a habit to talk about beauty with the mention of the term “the young woman of Turgenev”.

In art, the “damsels of Turgenev” are usually called not only the heroines of the novels of Turgenev himself, but also many female characters from other classic works of the XIX century. As well as girls in the paintings of artists of this cultural period.

In the mass depiction, the appearance of the “Turgenev girl” combines subtle, but at the same time very expressive features: for example, large eyes, a neat nose and romantic golden curls. The beauty of such a girl lies precisely in her aristocracy. What can we say, even today some cosmetologists resort to this term – when they want to explain why, for example, a girl should not follow the “enhancement” trend and make big lips that do not do not harmonize with its other characteristics.

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However, describing the virtues of appearance with the compliment “Turgenev’s daughter”, people forget that the writer himself invested in this concept. Her heroines, even by the standards of their time, were not considered classical beauties. And sometimes they were portrayed as downright ugly.

“Compared to Aunt, Marianna might seem almost ‘ugly’. She had a round face, a large, aquiline, gray nose, also large, very bright eyes, thin eyebrows, thin lips. She cut her thick blond hair and had the ‘air of beech. something strong and daring, something impetuous and passionate” (Marianna Sinetskaya from the novel “Nov”)

“She was tall, her face was pale and swarthy, large gray eyes under round eyebrows, surrounded by tiny freckles, her forehead and nose were completely straight, her mouth was compressed and her chin was rather pointed. In all his being <...> there was something nervous, electric, something impetuous and hasty, in a word, something that couldn’t please everyone, that repelled even the others. (Elena Stakhova from the novel “On the Eve”)

“There was something special about the warehouse of her swarthy, round face, with a thin little nose, almost childlike cheeks and black, shiny eyes. This strange girl attracted me: not only with a charm to half wild, spread all over his thin body…» (Asya from the story “Asya”)

Literary critics have always pointed out that in describing his heroines, Turgenev deliberately cast them as “grey mice” and uncanonical beauties. First of all, the writer focused on the deep but passionate nature of women – on a good education, intellectual passion and the ability to love selflessly. So talking about the appearance of a girl, using this phrase as a compliment, will not be very competent. Especially if we assume that after talking with you she will google, but what exactly do these Turgenev ladies look like!