The image of “new woman” in “The little lady of the big house” by Jack London

Jack London's novel “The Little Lady of the Big House” (1916), which was the last one published during the writer's lifetime, takes a special place in the writer's legacy. The socio-economic and cultural development of the United States at the turn of the 20th century contributed to the emergence of new views on the role and place of women in family and society, which are reflected in the novel. In the research, the image of the female protagonist is explored through the concept of a “new woman” based on the works of C. Tichi and L. Abrams. The article analyzes the features of the expression of the characteristic features of the female image of the 20th century, reflected in the formation of Paola Desten Forrest, her type of activity, her marriage and love triangle, and the role of the mother. Special attention is also paid to the description and analysis of the features of the 19th century in the image of Paola, the peculiarity of using romantic formulas in creating the portrait and its correlation with the image of the Big House. Based on the data, the authors of the study come to the conclusion that the combination of the traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries, the male and female characteristics in the image of the protagonist are determined by the author's intention to create the image of an ideal woman. Since at present there are only some non-systematized reflections on the image of the female protagonist of the novel “The Little Lady of the Big House”, which do not fully reflect the features of its construction, this research has a significant relevance, and reveals new aspects of the image of the protagonist.