“Nordic (Scandinavian) Noir” vs Scandinavian Detective: a Debatable Aspect of Study

The phenomenon of “Nordic (Scandinavian) noir”, which has formed in the literature of Northern Europe in the last two decades, is studied. The author considers the works of Swedish, Danish, Norwegian prose writers and proves the insufficient legitimacy of their attribution to “noir”. The term noir is substantiated. Based on the analysis of the novels by S. Larsson, J. Nesbø, H. Flood, M. Lindstein, A. Mette Hancock, the relevance of the term detective in relation to the work of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish prose writers is stated. It has been established that the definition of “Scandinavian (Nordic) noir” is not applicable to any of the newest Scandinavian novels. In terms of genre, in fact, each of these works is a detective story that combines other genre elements. “Millennium” by S. Larsson, “The Snowman”, “Leopard”, “Redneck” by J. Nesbø, “Corpse Flower” by A. M. Hancock synthesize elements of a detective, family and social novel. “The Therapist” H. Flod is a synthesis of a psychological thriller and a detective story. “A sect from a misty island” by M. Lindsteen combines the properties of a gothic novel (a closed chronotope of a manor, which is an analogue of a castle chronotope; the presence of a villain hero who determines the plot deployment) and a psychological detective story (an investigating heroine who reconstructs the events of the past, relying on logic to solve the mystery and giving realistic motivation to what is happening)

Concept of Path in Novels “The Way of Muri” by Ilya Boyashov and “Chronicles of a Stray Cat” by Hiro Arikawa

The novels “The Way of Muri” by Ilya Boyashov and “Chronicles of a Stray Cat” by Hiro Arikawa from the point of view of the concept of the path are examined in the article. The relationship between the motive of the road and the image of the animal is analyzed. The comparative-historical method of research makes it possible to reveal the presence of significant parallels in the problems and poetics of the works. It has been established that the image of the road, traditionally symbolizing the path of life, in the novels of I. Boyashov and H. Arikawa is actualized in relation to the animal, and not only to man. Animals and people in these works, in search of a home as their place in life, go through a certain path both in terms of space, and in time, and in psychological terms. In both novels, the animal has the ability to make decisions on its own and have its own path in life, but at the same time, its path is inextricably linked with the fate of people who for it personify the home, native space, the harmony of being. Both I. Boyashov and H. Arikawa comprehend the way as the essence of being and consider it one of the constants of life for both man and animal

Ambrose Bierce Disappearance: Unknown Page of Writer’s Biography

The article is devoted to the interpretation of the episode from the life of the outstanding American prose writer A. Bierce, linked with his sudden disappearance which still causes controversy among historians of literature and biographers of the writer. It is noted that the official version reads as follows: Ambrose Bierce is missing and was likely killed in the assault by Villa’s soldiers of city of Ojinaga, he was by the court declared dead in 1918. It is indicated that, nevertheless, the number of versions continued to increase, from time to time there were new rumors, but, as a rule, they were not supported by the factual material. It is emphasized that despite the once stunning popularity among contemporaries, the life and work of this outstanding prose writer still remain unexplored completely. It is argued that the study of the literary heritage of the writer is fully impossible without reference to the facts of his biography. The authors analyze the existing versions of Bierce’s “disappearance” using the materials of his epistolary heritage, and partly clarify this episode in the biography of the writer, relying on the comparative-historical, axiological, biographical (however free from the extremes of impressionism and psychology) methods

Trickster “Tipsy Lady” in Folklore of Taxi Drivers

The characteristic features of the trickster “tipsy lady”, formed in the folklore of taxi drivers, are investigated. The authors consider the modern type of rogue character, who plays the role of a tipsy taxi passenger and is a comic asocial character that performs both destructive and creative functions. Based on the analysis of the authentic material of urban folklore (the folklore of taxi drivers), the authors of this study for the first time identified the main features that determine this type. It is shown that by introducing dis-harmony and chaos into the “foreign” environment (the sphere of “habitation” of taxi drivers), the trickster “tipsy lady” tries to assert herself in it. It is noted that the character of oral stories and tales is characterized by unwillingness and inability to change her behavior that violates generally accepted moral norms. It is argued that the trickster “tipsy lady” performs the function of a conductor between social worlds. It has been established that she demonstrates the animal nature (lust) inherent in the representatives of the “primitive world”. It has been proven that the trickster “tipsy lady” is in a state of play and, finally, combines contradictory qualities — defiant self-confidence, on the one hand, and defenselessness, on the other. In their work, the authors of the article used historical-genetic, structural-typological methods, as well as a multi-level functional analysis of the folklore text

Specifics of Off-Stage Space in Drama of D. Lipskerov

For the first time, the means of creating off-stage space and its relationship with stage space in the plays of D. Lipskerov is discussed in the article. To study off-stage space in the framework of theatrical discourse, the concepts of narratology ( diegesis, narration, focalization ) and the sociology of space ( the surrounding world and the conjoint world ) are used. It has been established that the “isolation” of stage space implies its obligatory interaction with off-stage space, and the process of its inclusion in such interaction is considered in two different situations: in the reader’s discourse and theatrical discourse. In the reader’s discourse, off-stage space is introduced both by remarks and according to the internal focalization of the text, in connection with which the playwright emphasizes the act of observation and description of the visible in the textual binding. It is noted in the article that D. Lipskerov, in his plays, as well as in novels, implements “somnambulistic” narratives: through acts of observation. The playwright directs the attention of the reader, due to which his plays are inscribed in the cinematic paradigm and contain elements of literary cinematography (audiovisual images, editing of narration, chronotopic shifts). The author’s playing with space, the combination of stage and non-stage allows D. Lipskerov to create plays that exist in the polysemiotic space of theater and reading discourse

Problem of Periodization and Some Aspects of the Late Work of F. Bret Hart

The article is devoted to the discussion of the problem of periodization and the study of the features of the late stage of the work of the outstanding American prose writer Francis Bret Hart (1836—1902). The relevance of the article is due to the need to build a coherent and consistent history of the development of American literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, an important part of which is the writer’s prose heritage. The authors comprehend Western (J. Stewart, G. Scharnhorst, A. Nissen and others) and domestic (A. V. Vaschenko, L. P. Grossman, P. E. Schegolev, A. I. Startsev, V. A. Libman, E. Yu. Rogonova, A. B. Tanaseichuk) studies on biography and various aspects of the prose writer. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in American studies a gap in the reception of F. Bret Hart's work was filled (the absence of clear criteria for periodization); the tradition of a disdainful attitude to the European period of his work, established in American literary criticism, is refuted, in particular, it is proved that in the stories and novels of the 1880s and 1890s Bret Hart boldly goes beyond the usual themes and images: the “Californian theme”, traditional for his early prose, takes on a new dimension — in the aspect of understanding national and gender psychology (“Maruga”); amorous and melodramatic collisions are combined with an appeal to science fiction (“The Secret of the Hacienda”)

Novel ‘Tashkent — the Bread City’ by Alexander Neverov in Context of Russian Prose about Homeless Children in 1920s

This article examines Alexander Neverov’s novel ‘Tashkent — the Bread City’ in the context of the tradition of Russian prose about homeless children that emerged in the 1920s. Despite thematic similarities with other works about homeless children created during the same period (such as a protagonist who is left to fend for themselves and forced to find food and learn independence and responsibility), Neverov’s novel stands out due to several key features. Firstly, it is characterized by an abundance of naturalistic descriptions, depicting diseases, hunger, and numerous deaths during the period of the Volga famine without romanticizing the life of little vagabonds. Secondly, the plot unfolds in a fairy tale-like narrative structure, with the road becoming a chronotope — a small protagonist sets out on a distant journey, which is constructed as a series of trials and deprivations that become his initiation and on which he is helped by “magical assistants” (a sister of mercy, a head of an orphanage, and a train driver). Finally, biblical allusions are woven into the narrative, with the symbols of bread, Paradise, and dogs taking on symbolic roles. The journey itself is perceived as a symbolic journey of the soul towards eternal life and Paradise. This article contributes to the research on Russian prose about homeless children in the 1920s and sheds light on the unique features of Neverov’s novel

Little-Known Page of Co-Creation of Ch. Dickens and W. Collins: Novel “No Exit”

The article is devoted to comprehending the creative cooperation of the outstanding Victorians Ch. Dickens and W. Collins, who were co-authors for a decade and a half, as well as to the study of the peculiarities of the novel “No Exit”, which was not republished in Russia from the end of the 19th century until 2021 and was virtually unknown to the Russian-speaking reader. The relevance of the article is due to the need to build a coherent and consistent history of the development of English literature of the Victorian epoch in the domestic literary consciousness, an important part of which is the legacy of its masters, as well as the elimination of gaps in the creative biography of the largest figures of Victorianism. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in Russian English studies a gap in the reception of the creative tandem of Ch. Dickens and W. Collins has been filled: the key studies of their heritage have been comprehended; the history of their creative union has been studied; the novel “No Exit” in the context of the creative biography of Ch. Dickens and W. Collins was analyzed; the features of the generic (interweaving of epic and dramatic elements) and genre synthesis (combination of gothic, detective, adventure beginning) of the novel are revealed. The authors of the article used comparative historical, biographical, sociocultural methods, as well as the method of holistic analysis of a work of art

Ballad in Modern Russian Poetry: Ways and Nature of Genre Form Transformation

The article analyzes the features of transformation of ballad genre form in modern Russian poetry. Relying on theoretical propositions about the specifics of the genre, developed in the works of Yu. N. Tynianov and M. M. Bakhtin, the nature of changes in the features of the genre of ballad are explored in the creative practice of poets of the turn of 20th-21st centuries. The study found that the genre “image” of ballad is directly related to the feature of the modern poetic process, in which there are “traditional” and “avant-garde” paradigms. It is noted that in the works of poets-traditionalists (E. Rein, O. Khlebnikov, O. Nikolaeva, S. Kekova, D. Bykov, etc.) is dominated by a variant of the lyrical ballad, which has a philosophical, elegiac nature, and a special drama and tension are associated here with nostalgic sadness about the past, the loss of ties to the past, discomfort in the present. It is shown that the works of avant-garde poets (T. Kibirov, E. Schvarts, F. Svarovsky, A. Rovinsky, D. Vodennikov etc.) often decanonize genre characteristics of romantic ballads. It is emphasized that through the genre synthesis of ballad, lyrical cycle, parable, and fable the avant-garde poets demonstrate the instability of the era of the late 20th century, the confusion of a man caught in the maelstrom of socio-political events. Analyzing the work of poets, the authors prove that, unlike the poets-traditionalists, the representatives of the avant-garde trend abandon traditional lyricism and actively use all the variety of postmodern techniques

Christian Context of Historical Novel (Zakhar Prilepin’s “Abode”)

The specificity of the synthesis of elements included in the historical narrative, and Christian motives, images in the novel of the largest contemporary Russian prose writer Zakhar Prilepin is comprehended in the article. The relevance of the article is due to the need to build a coherent and consistent history of the development of Russian literature over the past two decades, an important part of which is the legacy of the popular writers. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in Russian literary criticism “Abode” is considered from the proposed perspective: its genre specificity is analyzed in a Christian context. It has been established that, despite the presence of elements of documentary, adventurous, love-psychological novels, in terms of genre, “The Abode” can be attributed to a historical novel (it depicts a turning point in Russian history through a conflict between historical figures and fictional “average” heroes, combines historical facts and fiction). At the same time, an interest in eternal moral issues, problems of life and death, conscience and duty, love and fidelity in their Christian understanding becomes a feature of Prilepin’s understanding of the historical theme. In their work, the authors of the article used comparative historical, biographical, socio-cultural methods, as well as the method of a holistic analysis of a work of art