Izvestiya of Saratov University.
Philology. Journalism
ISSN 1817-7115 (Print)
ISSN 2541-898X (Online)

Literary criticism

Paul Auster’s 4321 as a Bildungsroman: The Genre Memory

The paper explores the genre and compositional features of Paul Auster’s 4321 being the fusion of Bildungsroman, family сhronicle, social and psychological novel, love story, as well as Kunstlerroman and non-fiction. The analysis of the central aspects of poetics and the problems raised in the book reveals the ways of actualization and parodying the traditional genres in a postmodern novel.

Oppositions of Spatial Code in the Poems of Elena Shvartz

The article describes oppositions of spatial code and shows the ways of its representation in the poems of Elena Shvartz. Special features of how the spatial code functions in the author’s artistic world are also considered. The correlation between the poet’s choice of a particular spatial opposition and the artistic message is identified.

The ‘Caucasus Text’ by A. G. Bitov in the Russian and Foreign (German) Criticismке

The article studies how the artistic works of A. G. Bitov are perceived by the Russian and German criticism. The approaches of postmodern and postcolonial theories to the awareness of the author’s contribution in the development of the Russian literature are considered on the material of the works representing the ‘Caucasus text’. The history of A. G. Bitov’s texts being translated into German is addressed.

Notes of a Doctor by V. Veresaev in the Context of Ethical Problems of Contemporary Medicine

The article discusses the relevance of philosophical and ethical problems featured in Veresaev’s book for contemporary medical knowledge. Notes of a Doctor are considered as an example of interdisciplinary synthesis, which in many ways have anticipated the approaches of bioethics.

Dante’s Motives in the Novel The Petty Demon by Fyodor Sologub

The article considers Inferno by Dante Alighieri as one of the precedent texts for the novel The Petty Demon. The author supposes that Dante’s‘infernal’ connotations transform in the novel into the motive of deception which forms the plot of the novel. The motives that go through the whole novel (of mud, swamp, blindness and madness) as well as zoomorphic comparisons and allusions to the first cantos also reveal other aspects of Sologub’s plan and the distinctness of the poetics of the novel.

The Image of Cinderella in the Fairy-Tales of Western Europe and the East

The article discloses the images of a fairytale character Cinderella in the literary heritage of Western Europe and the East. The comparative analysis of the character’s external and internal qualities is carried out, the relation between fairy tales and myth-ritual basis is ascertained, totemic motives of the characters are examined.

A. A. Shakhmatov about A. N. Pypin

Published memoirs of A. A. Shakhmatov are an important source of study of the life and work of A. N. Pypin. On the basis of the living testimony, the main directions of scientific and organizational activities of Pypin during his tenure in the Academy of Sciences are considered, certain aspects of his personality are revealed.

The Fight against Amnesia: Nabokov’s ‘Signs and Symbols’ in the Novel by E. Vodolazkin The Aviator

The article discusses the intertextual connections of Vodolazkin’s novel The Aviator with V. Nabokov’s prose. The article specifically focuses on the function of Nabokov’s intertext in unveiling ideological and philosophical problems: comprehending the phenomenon of time and the creative ability of memory. The role of the word and literature in the struggle against amnesia is considered.

Parable Elements in the Novel by L. Ulitskaya Jacob’s Ladder

The article identifies and analyzes the elements of the parable inherent in L. E. Ulitskaya’s novel Jacob’s Ladder. It is noted that the parable spirit permeates both individual fragments of the text and the entire novel. The parable is manifested on the levels of content, range of philosophical issues and the style of the text: the language of the work is notable for the simplicity of expressive means.

The Specifics of Chronotope of the Novel by S. Lukyanenko Rough Draft

The article considers the chronotope of the novel Rough Draft by S. Lukyanenko, its special features being due to the combination of two genres – urban fantasy and conspiracy novel. Even though both genres contain some common motives and figures, in the work by Lukyanenko urban fantasy genre prevails, because the main character himself mainly forms the chronotope: slows down the time, creates new locations by the power of his mind (rooms, buildings etc.).

Pages