A GREAT TRAGEDY IN A SMALL GENRE

This article examines the role of female characters in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky and their philosophical and aesthetic functions. The study focuses on the writer’s short story “The Meek One” – part of “A Writer’s Diary”, and the unique character of women within it. The author demonstrates how the image of women in Dostoevsky’s short works transforms into symbols of human compassion, consolation, and boundless selflessness. The article also highlights the approach of Russian religious philosophy of the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the issue of women and the aspects and concept of “Eternal Femininity” associated with Dostoevsky’s poetics. Using the image of the Meek One, the author substantiates methods for artistically conveying great spiritual tragedy within short works.