The article is devoted to the problem of the relationship between “old and new”, considered on the Zinaida Gippius’ works (1890s). The focus is on image of the “new man” created by Gippius in her provocative called collection “New People” (1896), which, on the one hand, demonstrates the author's claim to create new anthropology and new aesthetics, on the other hand, places her works in the context of the previous tradition. The article provides an analysis of the critical reviews (1896 — early 1910`s), which build a constant perceptive line based on the comparison with the main character of the Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”. Using research works of the XX—XXI centuries, article considers the question of influence on the Gippius’ texts of tradition of Russian classics, embodied in Chernyshevsky’s novel “What Is to Be Done?”. The final part of the article provides an analysis of the story “Blue Sky” (from “New People”). The text reveals the presence of both of traditions, each of which has a direct influence on the “new man” image. There is no expected contradiction between these traditions. Analysis of the main characters allows to reveal the presence of the so-called “qui pro quo principle”, which belongs to Dostoevsky’s poetics and was “inherited” by Gippius.
For citation: Dzhamalova Ya.Ya. Tradition vs innovation: Zinaida Gippius’ “new people”, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2025, iss. 2, pp. 34—41.