Snokhachestvo
Encyclopedia
In Imperial Russia, snokhachestvo referred to illicit sexual relations between a pater familias
(bolshak) of a Russian peasant household (dvor) and his daughter-in-law (snokha) during the minority or absence of his son.
With a view to attracting additional workers to the household, marriages in rural Russia were frequently contracted when the groom was six or seven years old. During her husband's minority, the bride often had to put up with advances of her assertive father-in-law. Snokhachestvo entailed conflicts in the family and put moral pressure on the mother-in-law, who would treat her son's wife as a rival for her own husband's affections.
Snokachestvo was considered incestuous by the Russian Orthodox Church
and unseemly by the obschina, the rural community. Legally it was considered a form of rape
and was punished with fifteen to twenty lashes. Understandably, cases of snokhachestvo were not publicized and the crime remained latent, making it difficult to assess its true extent in Imperial Russia.
One of the first Russian writers to decry snokhachestvo, describing it as a form of "sexual debasement," was Alexander Radishchev
, who saw it as an outgrowth of Russian serfdom
. In the 19th century, its resurgence was fueled by obligatory conscription
and "the seasonal departure of young men for work outside the village."
Snokhachestvo remained relatively widespread even after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov
, a jurist, resented the fact that "nowhere it seems, except Russia, has at least one form of incest
assumed the character of an almost normal everyday occurrence, designated by the appropriate technical term." The Narodnik
writer Gleb Uspensky
, while deploring the plight of young peasant women, sympathized with "the emotional and physical needs of the mature peasant man."
, but not in the 1865 story it is based upon
.
In 1927, Olga Preobrazhenskaia
, "the leading woman director of[Russian] fiction films in the twenties," and her co-director, Ivan Pravov
, released a movie condemning snokhachestvo. Titled The Peasant Women of Riazan (in Russian, Baby Riazanskie), the silent film
is about the rape and pregnancy of a woman whose husband is away in World War I
. The rapist is her father-in-law, and the woman, overcome by shame, drowns herself when her husband returns from battle.
Pater familias
The pater familias, also written as paterfamilias was the head of a Roman family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate". The form is irregular and archaic in Latin, preserving the old genitive ending in -as...
(bolshak) of a Russian peasant household (dvor) and his daughter-in-law (snokha) during the minority or absence of his son.
With a view to attracting additional workers to the household, marriages in rural Russia were frequently contracted when the groom was six or seven years old. During her husband's minority, the bride often had to put up with advances of her assertive father-in-law. Snokhachestvo entailed conflicts in the family and put moral pressure on the mother-in-law, who would treat her son's wife as a rival for her own husband's affections.
Snokachestvo was considered incestuous by the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
and unseemly by the obschina, the rural community. Legally it was considered a form of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and was punished with fifteen to twenty lashes. Understandably, cases of snokhachestvo were not publicized and the crime remained latent, making it difficult to assess its true extent in Imperial Russia.
One of the first Russian writers to decry snokhachestvo, describing it as a form of "sexual debasement," was Alexander Radishchev
Alexander Radishchev
Alexander Nikolayevich Radishchev was a Russian author and social critic who was arrested and exiled under Catherine the Great. He brought the tradition of radicalism in Russian literature to prominence with the publication in 1790 of his Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow...
, who saw it as an outgrowth of Russian serfdom
Russian serfdom
The origins of serfdom in Russia are traced to Kievan Rus in the 11th century. Legal documents of the epoch, such as Russkaya Pravda, distinguished several degrees of feudal dependency of peasants, the term for an unfree peasant in the Russian Empire, krepostnoi krestyanin , is translated as serf.-...
. In the 19th century, its resurgence was fueled by obligatory conscription
Conscription in Russia
Conscription in Russia is presently a 12 month draft, mandatory for all male citizens age 18-27, with a number of exceptions. The mandatory term of service was reduced from 18 months at the beginning of 2008.- Russian Empire and earlier times :...
and "the seasonal departure of young men for work outside the village."
Snokhachestvo remained relatively widespread even after the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov
Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov
Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov was a Russian criminologist, journalist, and progressive statesman during the last years of the Russian Empire. He was the father of Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov.- Life :Nabokov was born in Tsarskoe Selo, into a wealthy and aristocratic family...
, a jurist, resented the fact that "nowhere it seems, except Russia, has at least one form of incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
assumed the character of an almost normal everyday occurrence, designated by the appropriate technical term." The Narodnik
Narodnik
Narodniks was the name for Russian socially conscious members of the middle class in the 1860s and 1870s. Their ideas and actions were known as Narodnichestvo which can be translated as "Peopleism", though is more commonly rendered "populism"...
writer Gleb Uspensky
Gleb Uspensky
- Early life :Uspensky was born in the city of Tula, where his father was a government official. He attended the gymnasiums at Tula and Chernihiv, devoting much of his time to the reading of the Russian classics. He studied at the university of St. Petersburg for a short time in 1861, until it was...
, while deploring the plight of young peasant women, sympathized with "the emotional and physical needs of the mature peasant man."
Snokhachestvo in the arts
There are sexual connotations in the relationship between Katerina and her father-in-law in Shostakovich's 1934 opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk DistrictLady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is an opera in four acts by Dmitri Shostakovich, his Op.29. The libretto was written by Alexander Preis and the composer, and is based on the story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov. The opera is sometimes referred to informally as Lady Macbeth...
, but not in the 1865 story it is based upon
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (story)
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is an 1865 novel of the Russian writer Nikolai Leskov.Among its themes are the subordinate role expected from women in 19th century European society, adultery, provincial life and the planning of murder by a woman, hence the title inspired by the Shakespearean...
.
In 1927, Olga Preobrazhenskaia
Olga Preobrazhenskaya (director)
Olga Ivanovna Preobrazhenskaya was a Russian and Soviet actress and film director, one of the first female film directors.-Biography:Olga Preobrazhenskaya was born on 24 July 1881 in Moscow. In 1901–1904 she studied in the actor school of Moscow Art Theater and since 1905 worked in theaters in...
, "the leading woman director of
Ivan Pravov
Ivan Konstantinovich Pravov was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter.-Filmography:director* The Women of Ryazan ; co-directed with Olga Preobrazhenskaya...
, released a movie condemning snokhachestvo. Titled The Peasant Women of Riazan (in Russian, Baby Riazanskie), the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
is about the rape and pregnancy of a woman whose husband is away in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The rapist is her father-in-law, and the woman, overcome by shame, drowns herself when her husband returns from battle.
External links
- Women of Ryazan or Baby Ryazanskie Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
entry. Accessed August 19, 2007.