СТАРІ ЖІНКИ В ТІНІ ПАМ’ЯТІ: У ПОШУКАХ СТАРИХ ПЕРСОНАЖОК В УКРАЇНСЬКІЙ ЛІТЕРАТУРІ ПРО РОСІЙСЬКО-УКРАЇНСЬКУ ВІЙНУ

This paper examines the representation of aged female characters in contemporary Ukrainian literature about the Russian-Ukrainian war, focusing on themes of memory, home, generational conflict, and the inner challenges of aging. Drawing on cultural gerontology, I approach old age not as a fixed chronological stage but as a social and narrative construct, shaped by how others perceive aging women and how these women navigate their identities. My research investigates how the marginalized status of aged women is affected by war as an existential threat and how these characters try to overcome it.The selected fictional texts include books written before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, showing the early literary responses to the war in diverse genres: play Bread Truce by Serhii Zhadan, a play Bad Roads by Natalka Vorozhbyt, a novel Daughter by Tamara Horikha Zernia, and a novel Long Hours by Volodymyr Rafeenko.