Subtle as a Serpent: Ambiguous Reception of Three Hypatias in Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Russia

• In Event: Socratic Women III: Socrates and Hypatia

Abstract

This paper considers how the figure of the Alexandrian philosopher Hypatia (c. 350/70 - 415) was received in Russian literature between the turbulent years of 1879 and 1913. Specifically, I examine the work of Lev Tolstoy, Maria Konopnicka, and Lev Zhdanov (Lev Gel'man) to shed light on the ambiguity of this reception, which alternately praised Hypatia's wisdom and reproached her alleged cunning.

Author

• Sveta Yefimenko, U of Exeter (UK)