Никольский Евгений Владимирович (2020).

РОМАННЫЙ СУБЖАНР СЕМЕЙНАЯ

UDC 821.161.1
SRNTI 17.01.07
E. V. Nikolsky
The novel subgenre family chronicle: questions of history and theory
(Article two)
In the article, the researcher reveals the essence of the family chronicle - a genre of literature, the
subject of which is the image of the life of several generations of one family. The authors of the
family chronicle compare the fates of different generations, reveal their similarities and
differences, and record the continuity of generations in the context of epochs. The history of the
family is able to concisely contain the history of the country in one or another dramatic era,
however, the historicism of the novel - the family chronicle is peculiar: the major events present
in the novel do not interest the author in themselves, but they are reflected as having significance
for this family. The second article briefly reviews the history of the genre in Russian literature,
reveals its similarities and differences with related genres of prose (biographical novel and epic
novel),
Key words: novel prose, genre, family chronicle, epic novel, novel situation, “family thought”,
historicism, bifurcation point, chronicle poetics, everyday life.
Eugeny Nikolsky
The Novel Subgenre Family Chronicle: Some Questions on History and Theory (Article Two)
In the article the researcher reveals the essence of the family chronicle - a genre of literature, the
subject of which is an image of life of several (usually from two to four) generations of the same
family. Authors of a family chronicles compare the fates of different generations, identify their
similarities and differences, and record the continuity of generations in the context of
epochs. The history of the family is able to contain the history of the country in a compressed
form in a particular dramatic era. These works are created precisely to prove that the main
cataclysms are over and life continues, despite tragic and dramatic collisions; however, the
historicism of the novel-family chronicle is peculiar: the author is interested in major events of a
novel not as such but in their significance for the family.
© Nikolsky E. V., 2020 © Nikolsky E., 2020
of the historical and literary process, considers main motives of these novels and some principles
of building family Chronicles.
Key words: novel prose, genres, family chronicle, epic novel, novel situation, "family thought",
historicism, bifurcation point, poetics of chronicality, everyday life.
The history of generations in Russian literature has been present since its inception. We find
these motifs both in Nesterova's Tale of Bygone Years and in hagiographic literature (for
example, the story about the ancestors and parents of Sergius of Radonezh in a life written by
Epiphanius the Wise) [20]. These motifs were also typical of noble memoirs [10], which, by and
large, predetermined the development of the artistic family chronicle in the literature of the 19th
century.
And the actual romance tradition of family chronicles in Russian literature begins with the work
of S. T. Aksakov, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and Vs. S. Solovyova. It is known that M. Yu.
Lermontov in 1840 spoke to V. G. Belinsky about his plan for an extensive trilogy “from three
eras in the life of Russian society (the era of Catherine II, Alexander I and the present), having a
connection and some unity with each other” [ 2, p. 455]. An early death interrupted the poet's
plans, but from this brief remark it can be assumed that he conceived something like a novel - a
family chronicle. The very fact of such a plan is indicative, because. it reflects the general
tendencies of the ideological and poetic development of the literature of the 19th century.
With regard to the legacy of S. T. Aksakov, we note that in his "Family Chronicle", according to
V. V. Kozhinov, "the seeds, or, more precisely, the ovaries of all future Russian prose, are
contained, as it were." Accordingly, the classic example of the genre form we are analyzing is
the “Family Chronicle” by S. T. Aksakov (1856), which, according to a number of researchers,
influenced the development of Russian prose of the 19th century and, first of all, the emergence
and rooting in it of “thought family." V. V. Kozhinov notes that the Aksakov book became a
kind of prototype for the greatest “family novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina by L. N.
Tolstoy, Teenager and The Brothers Karamazov by F. M. Dostoevsky and others” [7, p. 115].
In his essay on the work of S. T. Aksakov, V. V. Kozhinov defines his chronicle as “... a heart-
shaped phenomenon of Russian literature, the life-giving currents of which permeate it entirely
<...>. The definition of "God-given" is especially appropriate because at that time there was no
great Russian prose yet. >. And only God himself could give her the first impetus, giving the
Word to Aksakov” [7, p. 108].
If we consider the dynamics of the genre not in a journalistic, but in a scientific style, then it is
worth noting the specifics of the temporal construction of Ak-Sakov's "Family Chronicle". The
whole narrative is built on a strictly linear principle, that is, in a time sequence from the past to
the present, mostly without jumps, interruptions and flashbacks. Indeed, for a full-fledged study
of family history, an analysis of the events and their consequences is necessary. And it can be
done only in the case when a clear order of all stages of history is known.
But how does linear chronicle fit in with other artistic aspects? In research practice, it is widely
believed that in the "Family Chronicle", where the artistic principle is more absorbed by the
autobiographical, S. T. Aksakov focuses on depicting pictures of life and nature, his
memories. We find this idea in the studies of S. I. Mashinskii [10], M. V. Gritsanova [4], A. G.
Tatyanina [24], as well as in one of the latest studies of E. K. Sozina. The researcher defines the
type of writing by S. T. Aksakov as “remembering - visualistic” and argues that “there is no end-
to-end meaning transcending from memories for the entire history of life in his narrative, but
rather a series of successive paintings commented on by the narrator” [ 23]. We cannot agree
with this statement. So, as an organizing plot beginning in "Children's Years" one can designate
not a retrospective description and retelling of historical anecdotes (remarkable cases), but the
idea and concept of personality formation, linking this Aksakov's work with the tradition of the
novel of education. According to the author himself, he was interested in “the very process of the
formation of the child’s personality, the children’s world, which is gradually being created under
the influence of daily new impressions. Nevertheless, the narrative is also organized by the point
of view of an adult narrator, who remembers himself as a boy, analyzes every step of the child,
his impressions, and thereby builds a certain strategy for arranging episodes” [10], which obeys
the linear-chronological principle.
A kind of reflection of the situations that took place in reality were in our literature two fictional
dynasties: the Golovlevs and the Gorbatovs, one - a product of the talent of Saltykov-Shchedrin,
the other - Vsevolod Solovyov.
M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin worked on the novel The Golovlevs (1875-1880) for several years. Its
first chapters were first published as part of the Well-Intentioned Speeches cycle. This
circumstance makes it possible to perceive
Golovlyov is among those satirical characters who love to make "well-intentioned speeches" in
defense of the "sacred principles" of the state, church, property, family, constantly violating
them. In the multifaceted and all-encompassing work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, works of art
make up less than half of everything he wrote. In turn, five novels stand out among them, the
Well-Intentioned Speeches cycle, short stories and novels. "Tales" stand apart. The nobility as
the main character is brought to the pages of Well-intentioned Speeches, Modern Idyll,
Pompadours and Pompadours and some others. Saltykov's main book on the Russian nobility,
The Golovlevs, is recognized as a brilliant example of the family chronicle genre.
If for Saltykov's works (as well as the novel by Gr. Kvitka-Osno-Vyanenko "Pan Khalyavsky",
which will be discussed below), dedicated to the description of the fate of noble families, a
accusatory tone and satirical pathos are characteristic, then for Vsevolod Sergeevich Solovyov
(1849-1903) a different approach became decisive - a realistic and partly lyrical depiction of the
life of the Russian aristocracy in the 19th century. Already a mature artist with a well-established
style of writing, Vsevolod Sergeevich Solovyov set about creating the novel Chronicle of Four
Generations, in which he planned to reflect the history of a noble family. The Chronicle (also
called The Gorbatov Family) included five novels: Sergei Gorbatov, The Voltairian, The Old
House, The Exile, The Last Gorbatovs. All of them are connected by a single thread - the fate of
one noble family that survived the turbulent eras of the 18th-19th centuries: the golden "age of
Catherine", the time of the French revolution, the Napoleonic wars, the Decembrist uprising, the
Nikolaev era and the formation of a new bourgeois way of life in Russia. The first pentalogy
book was written in 1881; second and third respectively in 1882 and 1883; fourth and fifth in
1884 and 1886. It can be noted that the first work of the new genre appeared in the Russian
literary tradition 15 years before a similar phenomenon in Europe (Thomas Mann's novel
Buddenbrooks).
In the second half of the 19th century, writers who were far from this genre were carried away by
the creation of family novels (one way or another associated with the chronicle): Evgenia Tur
(“The Family of Shalonsky”), A.F. Pisemsky (“A Thousand Souls”), the philosopher K.N.
Leontiev (“Podlipki”), A. I. Herzen (“Who is to blame?”, “Notes of a young man”), I. A.
Goncharov (novel trilogy), I. S. Turgenev (“The Noble Nest”) A. Ya. Panaeva (“The Talnikov
Family”), D. V. Grigorovich (“Settlers”), B. K. Zaitsev (“Gleb’s Journey”), and finally, I. A.
Bunin (“Dry Valley”) [See: 16 ].
At this time, it becomes more and more clear that through a series of episodes from the life of
one person or through a biography it is not always possible to display a complete picture of
socio-cultural and political changes in the life of society. The urgent need to realize this need
gives rise to new forms of literary works in different countries by different writers. In particular,
this led to the emergence of the genre of the epic novel (“War and Peace” by L. N. Tolstoy in
Russia, “The Defeat” by E. Zola, “Jean-Christophe” by R. Rolland in France), as well as a social
novel , where the generalization of the phenomena of the era took place. We consider as such
"Petersburg slums" and "Panurge's herd" Vs. Krestovsky, as well as "Cathedrals" and "On
Knives" by N. S. Leskov.
Thus, in the second half of the 19th century, a trend was formed to spread the themes, problems
and poetics of the genre of the novel, its architectonics and language features. Figuratively
speaking, there was a "spreading of thought" in breadth (synchronously) along a horizontal
section. The urgent needs of the literary development of the era posed many problems, the
solution of which, including the determination of the causes of the genesis of certain phenomena,
was almost never carried out. Although it was the development of literature in this direction that
significantly enriched the collection of genres and poetic devices of world literature. The
development of problematics and poetics “vertically” (diachronically) gives rise to “family
chronicle” as a special genre in terms of the possibility of depicting the genesis of the
phenomena of the era. The need to create a great novel manifests itself more and more insistently
already at the beginning of the twentieth century. In "Buddenbrooks" T.
To this we can add that much in literary development (as V. M. Zhirmunsky showed) is due to
general patterns that manifest themselves at different times and among different peoples. So, for
example, T. Mann conceived his novel about “the story of the death of one family” at the end of
the 19th century [see: 1]; independently of him, the Russian writer M. Gorky proposes to create
the history of one family from 1812 to his own time [8, a 144]. In general terms, Alexei
Maksimovich's idea was already formed at the end of the 19th century and was partially realized
in the works On the Rafts (1895), Delusion (1896), Foma Gordeev (1899, where there is an
interesting story about history of a merchant family), "The Man" (1890). As V. A. Maksimova
noted, even then M. Gorky showed “interest in the topic of generations” [8, a 145]. general
a place in the works of Gorkovologists was the mention of the idea of the novel "The Artamonov
Case" in conversations with Leo Tolstoy in 1901-1902 and with V. I. Lenin in 1910. This is
noted by A. I. Ovcharenko, E. B. Tager, S. V. Kastorsky, A. I. Volkov, I. S. Novich. However,
the writer was able to realize his plan after the development of the Russian bourgeoisie was
completed (due to the all-Russian catastrophe in 1917).
In itself, the appearance of works about family history (the novels by D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak
“Privalovsky millions” in 1884, as well as Nizhny Novgorod family chronicles: I. S.
Rukavishnikova “The Damned Family”, published in 1914, and A. M. Gorky's "The Artamonov
Case", 1925) was dictated by the demands of the time and had both public and artistic
resonance. Each family history is considered here (this was especially true in the Nizhny
Novgorod region, where capitalist relations actively developed and a very specific synthesis of
noble and bourgeois ways took place) from the point of view of the cardinal problem of the
century - the contradictions of capitalist civilization, covering all levels of personal and socio-
economic and cultural life [15].
Real-historical time and individual-psychological time in novels - family chronicles as a whole
(regardless of their geographical "birth") are inseparable, moreover, the objective course of
history subjugates and absorbs the ideas and feelings of the characters. This form of narration
retains the features of traditionalism, dating back to the family chronicle of the 19th century, and
at the same time, under the influence of developing bourgeois socio-economic relations, makes
its own adjustments to the structure of the text.
As researchers have repeatedly noted, M. Gorky based the "Artamonov Case" not so much on the
history of three generations of the bourgeois Artamonov family, but on the history of their
"case". And this, in turn, contributed to the social actualization of the plot, and also exacerbated
the socio-economic problems. In the novel, on the example of one family and the history of one
class, many problems of the formation of national entrepreneurship (to use modern terminology,
middle-class business) were reflected. M. Gorky's predecessor in describing the family during
the formation of Russian capitalism was D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak, who innovatively illuminated
aspects and phenomena of an economic and everyday nature and set himself the goal of writing a
voluminous and multifaceted novel, similar to Rougon-Macquarts. As you know, he was
conceived (but, unfortunately,
The first novel in this series, “Privalovsky Millions” (1883), reflects not
26
only the process of development of big business in the Urals, but also intra-family relations,
taking into account local originality: traditional household and psychological way of life, local
customs, ethnographic (more precisely, ethnic and sub-ethnic and social types), etc.
The situation changed after 1917, when other tasks arose, but at the same time, Russian
literature, both in the Soviet metropolis and in the diaspora free from ideological dictates, did not
forget this genre. Everything that the authors created during this period, of course, is
unequal. However, every writer who worked in this genre, one way or another, continued the
traditions of his illustrious predecessors. Soviet family chronicles enjoyed resounding popularity
in the seventies, regardless of their literary merit and artistic level, as well as their historical
objectivity. We are talking about such books as "Rus" by P. Romanov, "Zhurbins" by
Vs. Kochetov, "Strogovs" by G. Markov, "Zanins" by V. Trapeznikov, Pryaslin trilogy by F.
Abramov, "Lubavins" by V. Shukshin, "Nabatov" chronicle by F. Ta-urin and, of course, the
immortal creations of A. Ivanov " Eternal call "and P. Proskurin "Fate", the historical chronicle
of E. Fedorov "Stone Belt" and others. In emigration, the Nizhny Novgorod writer Yevgeny
Chirikov created the novel-river "Father's House", in the first parts of which the problems of the
history of generations are very relevant. The history of the family is also depicted in the novels
“The Family” by Nina Fedorova, Vladimir Maksimov’s “Seven Days of Creation” and
“Quarantine”, which have gained popularity in English translation among Western readers, as
well as the autobiographical work of Irina Golovkina (Rimskaya-Korsakova) “The Defeated”.
In modern Russian literature, the family chronicle genre is represented by the novels of Vasily
Aksyonov "The Moscow Saga", Grigory Ryazhsky's "Children of Vanyukhin", Semyon
Malkov's "Two Fates", and Dmitry Veresov's "Family Album" and other works that gained
popularity thanks to screen adaptations [12]. Certain features of the family chronicle can also be
found in Lyudmila Ulitskaya's biographical novel Medea and Her Children.
Concluding the historical review of family chronicles, we note that the Russian literary tradition
contributed to the emergence of family chronicles in Russian literature. However, the formation
of this genre was also influenced by the fact that in the works of V. M. Zhirmunsky, the
definition of “typological” factors in the development of literature was defined. Literary
development throughout the 19th century was marked not only by the emergence of new themes
and trends, but also by serious modifications of the system of literary genres, as well as an
increase in the share of the novel genre in literature.
Let us continue our consideration of some aspects of the poetics of family chronicles. The works
of this type are characterized by the presence of a genealogical reference, which tells about the
prehistory of the family. The propensity for self-expression in family chronicles was
characteristic of noble writers with rich pedigrees, whose stories excited the authors, sometimes
the last offspring of their surnames, or individual branches (like, say, Lermontov, Herzen or
Bunin). Therefore, very rarely do we find in family novels a negative, predominantly, attitude
towards the aristocracy as a whole, towards native antiquity, sometimes even without a certain
amount of condemnation of past and modern mores. (Some critical statements of noble writers
against brothers in estate cannot be compared with the “pearls” of communist “realism”, aimed
at total vilification of noble history.).
In fairness, it should be noted that the Russian-language novel "Pan Khalyavsky" (1839-1840) by
the Ukrainian gentry writer Kvitka-Osnovyanenko is saturated with critical thoughts in relation
to certain aspects of noble culture. This work is a deliberately comic biography of the rustic but
roguish Little Russian aristocrat Trofim Khalyavsky, a description of his amusing adventures in
Great Russia, in particular, in Tula and St. Petersburg. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko also tells about the
parents and children of his hero, however, descriptions of the previous and subsequent
generations are presented only in the exposition and the final chapters, the share of these
generations in the general context is small, so the novel cannot be classified as a family
chronicle. In this work there are a number of features that later appeared in family
chronicles, including genealogical information. As Kvitka-Osnovyanenko wrote, the clairvoyant
family of the noble lords of the Khalyavskys goes back to a certain stoker of one of the Polish
kings, who one night with a log (freebie) killed a mouse that had bitten the sleeping monarch, for
which he was granted a coat of arms and ranked as a gentry rank.
When analyzing the specifics of this genre, a natural question arises about the relationship
between the family chronicle and the epic novel and the biography novel. We consider the family
chronicle as a special genre variety of the novel, only in some of its features close to the epic
novel. As N. P. Utekhin notes, “features of one type or another are associated with the themes
and problems of works and may be common to many genres of romance literature” [25, p. 9].
To determine a clear differentiation of genre properties and features of the family chronicle and
the epic novel, it is necessary to compare their pair.
digms and, having determined their similarities and differences, consider the issue of their
identity. For further analysis of our problem, it is necessary to give the very definition of the
concept of epic. “The main feature of the modern epic is that it embodies the destinies of
peoples, the historical process itself, and this puts it on a par with the majestic epics of the past
and at the same time separates it from novels in the proper sense of the word, for example, from
the novels of G. Flaubert, I. S. Turgenev, T. Hardy and others. The epic also occupies a large
place in the literature of the twentieth century. The epic genre includes “The Life of Klim
Samgin” by A. M. Gorky, “Quiet Flows the Don” by M. Sholokhov, etc. ” [6, p. 1238]. It can be
seen that in this case there is a confusion of genre definitions of the epic novel and the family
chronicle, which we wrote about above. The epic is characterized by a wide, multifaceted, even a
comprehensive picture of the world, including both historical events, and the appearance of
everyday life, and a multi-layered human choir, and deep reflections on the fate of the world, and
intimate experiences of the individual. This determines the unusually large volume of the work,
most often taking up several volumes (although, of course, the volume itself cannot be a sign of
an epic). The epic is one of the most difficult genres" [6, p. 1238].
In our opinion, the family chronicle was formed under the influence of the literary traditions of
the 18th - early 19th centuries, when the focus of the authors' attention was on a person, in the
aggregate of all his psychological, social and spiritual properties. At the same time, the problem
of "man and society" was posed and resolved in a different aspect: in the center was a person, not
a mass.
So, an epic novel (multi-heroic, multi-plot) is a big novel. Its “large scale is due to the fact that
the epic novel talks about the people (and not about the family, or its individual representative),
the author of the epic novel sees a person as a particle inscribed in the historical era; the novel is
authoritarian and claims to be an exhaustive disclosure of everything and everything. In this
aspect, in our opinion, there is a main line between the epic and the family chronicle. The latter
does not have such a high level of generalization, since in the center of works of this type is not
the whole society at a difficult moment in its history, but only one person or one family. Through
a purely depiction of the problems of one family, the history of a single estate or social group is
described, and, as a rule, the scope of the work is limited to this.
This is confirmed by the traditional statements of critics that, for example, The Artamonov Case
is a novel about the history of the Russian bourgeoisie; "Buddenbrooks" - about the history of the
German burghers; The Forsyte Saga is about the English capitalists. To this we can add that the
“Chronicle of Four Generations” is a novel about the history of the Russian nobility, and
“Singing in the Blackthorn” is about Australian landowners, “Lyuboratsky” (Anatolsh
Svidnitsky - “Lyuboratsyu”), written by popovich, is about the clergy. Other social groups are
not represented in these works or are represented only slightly.
Family chronicles are close in their subject matter to socio-psychological novels. As A. V.
Chicherin writes, the epic novel is characterized by a multi-plot, the presence of novels in the
novel, “the intersection of the history of the deeds of one character with other stories and
events. Each plot is perceived in connection with all other events and plots” [26, p. 18]. The
family chronicle, as a rule, is characterized by a monolithic plot, side lines and inserted short
stories are not typical for it, or, if they are nevertheless present, then the connection between
them is much closer due to the unity of action.
The family chronicle does not have the usual panorama for an epic. The author is immersed in
the image of a separate family and “does not spread mentally along the tree”: he does not point to
battles, to the movement of the social masses, to other families, does not introduce episodic
characters that form broad generalizing pictures. The genre itself determines neither the choice of
the subject, nor the author's attitude towards it, but for the epic novel “... it is no coincidence that
the image of the people is precisely in the role of the creator of history. The primary element of
literature - language - in the epic novel serves the special tasks of linking and dismembering,
explaining the diverse, contradictory, complex phenomena of life" [26, p. 19].
In this regard, we would like to turn to the analysis of such a phenomenon of artistic prose as the
image of the author. For the first time this concept was introduced in his works on poetics and
stylistics by Academician VV Vinogradov. The image of the author is the semantic and poetic
center of the text, from which threads diverge to all other artistic phenomena of the work. For the
epic, the image of the author appears as a demiurge, from a bird's eye view of life, all the
phenomena of reality. And although sometimes the author's gaze stops at a specific character, the
main thing for the epic "demiurge" is the panorama and global vision of the world.
In the family chronicle, we encounter a different type of author's image. His gaze does not cover
the entire panorama of the realities of life, but glides over mansions and estates, dissolves in the
life of one family, clearly captures small details.
thirty
and sometimes "runs away" from the masses of the people. Although in this aspect the line
between the chronicle and the epic is not clearly traced, it cannot be otherwise, because Every
piece of literature is unique. The family chronicle can sometimes contain pictures of the wide
family, social and cultural ties of the family (“The Forsyte Saga”, “The Chronicle of Four
Generations”) and in this show only proximity to the epic, but not be identified with it. For the
events of civil history are of interest to chroniclers only if they in any way concern an individual
family; while the author of the epic is interested in the history of the people and the country.
The main difference between the chronicle and the epic is the rejection of a direct depiction of a
major event or a change in the way it is depicted. As a rule, this event is presented only indirectly
and its description does not take up a large number of lines in the family chronicle [19; 22]. Most
often, we hear only the echoes of events. Thus, the specifics of the historicism of the chronicles
that we have considered become a forming factor for this genre. V. V. Kozhinov singled out the
volume of a work as an additional genre-forming criterion. Perhaps the volume of the text
(approximately the same for both genres) serves as the basis for judging the identity of the
chronicle and the epic.
To compare the genres under consideration, the question is of interest, due to what they achieve
the volume of text? The epic in its content is not extended in time (the duration of the action of
The Quiet Flows the Don and War and Peace is about 10-15 years; Life and Fate by V.
Grossman is about 7 years), but the coverage of life material makes it necessary to expand the
panoramic scope of the work . In the family chronicle, the time span of which covers a period of
about 50-100 years, the volume of the text is achieved by introducing pictures of the life and way
of life of generations. Thus, works similar in volume and different in temporal coverage are
different in their genre nature.
According to A. Ya. Esalnek, from a specific analysis of the works it follows that “the structural
features of the novel as a genre are a combination of components interconnected with each other
and forming a whole. Typological varieties of such works depend on the qualitative properties of
these components, the specific weight of each of them within the whole and the nature of the
relationship between them within the structure. These features also determine the specific types
of novels that emerged in European literature from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the
19th centuries” [27, p. 142]. The idea expressed about a possible inter-genre differentiation
speaks of the need to compare the family chronicle with a biographical novel.
In the latter type of novel, we can find some features similar to those of family chronicles. In
particular, in works of this type we can observe stories about the ancestors of the hero, his
parents and children. This may seem like a duplication of a family chronicle. But in view of the
fact that the "specific weight" of such components in these genres is different and the goals of
these genres are not identical, we can assert that the family chronicle and the biographical novel
are close, but not identical.
To this we can add that for the author of a family chronicle, any generation is valuable in itself,
and the works of this genre, in fact, are a complex of biographies of persons from one family, set
out in a clear chronological sequence. All these data allow us to determine the special place of
the "family chronicle" among other related genres of novel prose.
A. Ya. Esalnek wrote that “it is even possible that the same structural features can intersect and
be found in works of different types. Therefore, the genre of a work should be judged by its
internal qualities, by genre content, which, changing and modifying in the work of a particular
writer, gives different types of novels” [28, p. 41]. With regard to the family chronicle, we
especially note that the originality of this type of artistic prose is a consequence of the totality of
the specific features of its problematics and poetics that we have described above.
However, the ability of the family chronicle to transform does not at all mean that we are dealing
with a genre that does not have independent significance. On the contrary, the possibilities of the
chronicle, its mobility, dynamism can be assessed as evidence of its viability. The initial position
of this movement, however, remains the genre's own nature, based on specific features, the first
of which is the special character of the time.
It is on these principles - with inevitable exceptions and deviations that confirm the rule in
different ways - that the family chronicles of Russian and European literature of the 19th-20th
centuries are built.
The genre variety of the family chronicle novel has become a significant fact of the literary
development of the 20th century. In such works, there are various ways of implementing and
developing an important genre-forming motive - the motive of generations. With all the variety
of factors that determine the ideological and artistic specificity of a work, at certain moments in
the evolution of a family character, we observe similar development trends.
Analyzing the general aspects of the problems of this genre, one can single out several of the
most typical problems solved by family chronicles: the relationship between family history and
the history of society, which in turn gives rise to a series
other features that are the prerogative of this particular genre, which make up its classical
motifs. This is what in literary monographs (in particular, those we mentioned earlier [11; 13;
14] by foreign researchers) is considered as the motives of degeneration (degradation,
degeneration).
This approach seems to us to be somewhat one-sided: it is more legitimate to talk about the
evolution of the character of the characters over the course of family history. These changes can
be both negative (that is, degeneration, including the growth of physical and mental illnesses,
spiritual and intellectual impoverishment, decreased social activity, physiological infertility) and
positive (rebirth, restoration of the potencies of the family after the dark years of
degeneration). Changes can also be neutral: the character and worldview are transformed under
the influence of historical events.
So, the generalization of the artistic material of family chronicles we have considered shows us
the main motives for the evolution of family character in the works of this genre, since the need
to change the character in family history is due to the artistic nature of the works. But at the same
time, the very evolution of the mental make-up of the family, along with other motives, becomes
the genre-forming factor of the family chronicle novel.
All types of modifications can be divided into four groups:
1) neutral historical, due to changes in the psychological and social state of the family;
2) negative family changes (i.e. degeneration and degradation);
3) the revival of the family, i.e. restoration of its material and spiritual potential;
4) the formation of the clan through the path of progressive development.
The motives of the first group are found in all works where the problem of the social
development of society is presented as one of the fundamental ones, and also where the family is
a symbol of a particular social group or class. For example, the psychological and cultural-
intellectual evolution of the younger branch of the Artamonov family [18] is the realization of
these motives. The evolution of the Forsytes and, to some extent, the Armstrongs - Cleary
proceeds in a similar way (the novel The Thorn Birds by C. McCullough). Changes in the
economic activity of the Gorbatov family in connection with the formation of capitalist relations
in Russia can also be attributed to this group. The motives of this group show the resilience of
the family (formerly
moral) and ways of adapting to changing historical conditions.
The second group of motives includes the negative aspects of family evolution, contrary to the
established opinion of literary critics, including M. M. Bakhtin. These motifs are not so common
in family chronicles and, with rare exceptions (“Buddenbrooks” by T. Mann), are presented in
works in combination with motifs from other groups. The appearance of motives for the collapse
of the family itself and its degradation is primarily due to the weakening of the physical and
spiritual, and then the social potentialities of the clan.
Among other things, the loss of closeness to nature, the neglect of the origins of their surnames
contributes to changes in the psychological and social qualities of the family. Sun. Solovyov
describes in detail in parts 1 and 2 of his novel the estate life and culture, the fertile life in the
quiet of the estates; the author yearns for old Russia. Assessing the described time, he believes
that the separation from nature, the urbanization of the life of the characters leads to qualitative
changes in their personal and family destinies.
Similar phenomena (albeit not occupying such significant places in the artistic composition of
works) we find in other authors. M. Gorky, J. Galsworthy note such phenomena in their
characters. With the growth of physical illnesses, the emergence of mental ill health can also be
combined. Such, for example, are the characters of T. Mann (Christian
Buddenbrock); Sun. Solovyov (Nikolai and Kokushka Gorbatov); A. M. Gorky (Pyotr
Artamonov). Moral degeneration is usually expressed in the form of hedonism and disregard for
cultural values. This is expressed in the images of Christian Buddenbrook; Sergei Jr. Gorbatov
and Yakov Artamonov. In some novels of this genre group, we practically do not encounter an
intensive manifestation of degradation motives. Thus, for example, Cleary evolves in The Thorn
Birds by C. McCullough or in the novel by J.
In some cases, we meet with a number of opposite tendencies. In particular, we are talking about
the formation of the clan and the improvement of the qualities of the family. As, for example, in
Howard Fast's pentalogy about the Lavet and Levy family, called the "California Forsyte
saga." In this work, we are talking about the conquest of economic benefits by members of this
family and the improvement of the psychological and cultural traits of a family character.
In a number of works we meet with the theme of family regeneration. Such, for example, are
Justin and Dan O'Neill from the Thorn Birds; Myron from
"Case Artamonov"; Vladimir Jr. Gorbatov from the Solovyov Pentalogy. Such a plot move
allows the author of the family chronicle to neutralize pessimistic motives and makes it possible
for an optimistic and positive ending. And the French writer E. Bazin builds his "Rezo Family"
according to the reverse scheme. In the first generation, we meet with degradation, represented
by the images of father Rezo and Psychimora, and the second generation, represented by their
son Jean Rezo, shows the positive aspects of family evolution.
I would also like to note that the 19th-20th centuries are characterized by a crisis of mankind,
which manifested itself in the growth of social diseases and the deterioration of health; at this
time, adherence to life values \u200b\u200bfalls and the opportunity to realize one's potential
decreases. An objective approach to the content of the artistic material of family chronicles
forces us to fix the significance and frequency of the motives of degeneration, but a specific
analysis of the works leads us to deny the idea of the totality of these motives.
As noted above, this kind of novel prose arises at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, when the
course of history accelerates and there is a sharp break in the established charters, which, in turn,
is reflected in the lives of individuals, representatives of all social groups of society.
And the decisive factor for the emergence of novels of family chronicles is precisely the key
moments of history, when the very way of life changes or breaks down. In modern science, such
moments are called the point of bifurcation (or no return). Let's consider this concept in more
detail. So, the bifurcation point is a concept from a technical dictionary and means a bifurcation:
a brief moment when the system in an unpredictable way can change the mode of operation
either in one or the other direction, after which there is no return to the past. A bifurcation point
is when many different chains of cause-and-effect relationships converge at one point at one time
- and the bifurcation that has occurred at this point will no longer lead to one unexpected turn of
events, but in a complex way - up to a whole human destiny or the history of an entire nation,
otherwise and civilization. Such, at least, this application, probably found the most harmless term
in thermodynamics in history [see: 5]. Turning points (bifurcation points) are the key parameters
in the development of historical events, on the final result of which the course of the whole
history depends. And in this regard, we note that family chronicles arise precisely in those
historical periods when social cataclysms and the consequences they generate do not contribute
to the favorable existence of the family.
as a public institution (that is, after passing through that very point of bifurcation). The
cataclysms of civil history form the uneven development of family history. Within the
framework of general historical processes, there is a decrease in the role of the individual (or
groups of individuals) in history; social groups change roles, this causes a crisis, which affects
the family as a unit of society.
According to the correct, but somewhat ironic remark of the critic Dmitry Bykov, the crisis in
Germany brought to life the Mann "Buddenbrooks", the crisis of the British empire - the
Galsworth's "Forsytes", and "the degeneration of the Russian empire into the Soviet one -" The
Artamonov Case "<...>, the crisis of Stalinism gave rise to the "Zhurbins" in the work of
Vsevolod Kochetov; the distinct decline of the already Soviet empire gave rise to the genre of
epigone, can-soil <. > family saga performed by G. Markov ("Strogovs"), A. Ivanov ("Eternal
Call"), P. Proskurin ("Fate" with two sequels). Only Vasily Aksenov managed to react to the
death of the USSR: "The Moscow Saga" was both a parody of a family history novel and the first
test of many modern techniques" [3]. To this observation it is worth adding that the novel by
Orhan Pamuk "Cevdet Bey and Sons" was caused by the crisis of the Turkish state at the turn of
the 1970-80s. [21], and the novel by the Chilean emigrant, the president's niece, Senora Isabel
Allende "The House of Spirits" - tragic events in Chile.
Mentioned Dm. Bykov, events and phenomena are of a purely historical nature and cannot but be
reflected in the novels of the family chronicle. So, in the works created by different authors in
different eras and in different countries, we meet identical motifs. In our opinion, this is due to
the fact that the very nature of the family chronicle genre is prone to generalizations of the
psychological properties of a person, which are practically unchanged for a long time and are the
same at different geographical latitudes. And the moments of self-preservation, family
foundations and survival are immutable and relevant.
But at the same time, if the motive structure of family chronicles (including the stable motive of
one's father's house [19]) remains more or less stable, then its "external" frame can be somewhat
modified. Thus, in the process of the development of the genre, we observe a departure from the
patrilineal principle (i.e., along the male line) of the organization of family history. The first
chronicles (“Buddenbrooks”, “Chronicle of Four Generations”, “The Forsyte Saga”, “The
Artamonov Case”) were arranged strictly in order: the narrative passes from father to son, then
grandson and great-grandson. In other words, we meet only with the typology
male characters, female images performed only an aesthetic function and played a secondary
role.
With the advent of family chronicles written not by writers, but by women writers, we are
witnessing the introduction of a matrilineal (from mother to daughter and granddaughter, great-
granddaughter) way of narration into this genre, as well as a combination of patrilineal and
matrilineal principles. Such are the family chronicles written by C. McCullough, J. Herbst, B.
Small; We observe a similar construction of family history in male writers, for example, in the
American of Ukrainian-Jewish origin Howard Fast and our compatriot Semyon Malkov. The
very change in the scheme of plot construction entails the development of the creative
personalities of the characters and expands the content side of the chronicle.
On the other hand, we are also seeing some democratization of family chronicles. If the first
works of this genre were mainly devoted to representatives of the largest bourgeoisie or
aristocracy, then later chronicles and "novels of generations" tell about other social groups and
classes. This was manifested in the works of Soviet authors Vs. Kochetkov "Zhurbins" (about the
working class) and G. Markov "Strogovs" (about the Siberian peasants). A similar trend can be
found in A. Cherkasov's novel Khmel, close in genre to a family chronicle. In foreign literature,
we find such a tendency in the work of J. Steinbeck: in both of his works devoted to the theme of
generations, he writes about American farmers.
At the same time, family chronicles continue to emerge, telling about the upper strata of
society. For example, “The Damned Kings” and “The Powerful Ones” by M. Druon, or the novel
by the Soviet writer E. Fedorov about the princes Demidovs “Stone Belt”, etc. In some works,
we are talking about social diffusion. These are the novels by K. McCullough “The Thorn Birds”
and J. Herbst “Pity Is Not Enough”.
The 20th century, which became the catalyst for this genre, is a time of great life changes, which
cannot but be reflected in literature. Therefore, it is safe to say that new family chronicles will
appear in the future.
Bibliography
1. Apt S. Thomas Mann. M.: Young Guard, 1972. 352 p.
2. Belinsky V. G. Complete works: in 13 volumes. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Institute
of Rus. Literature (Pushkin. Dom). M.: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the
USSR, 1953-1959. T. 5.
3. Dmitry Bykov. Fast and Furious Saga. Electronic resource. URL:
http://www.ogoniok.ru/5031/26/ (date of access: 11/25/2020).
4. Gritsanova M. V. Correlation of voices of narrators in the story by S. T. Aksakov “Childhood
of Bagrov-grandson” // Problems of literary genres. Tomsk, 1987. S. 59-60.
5. Kozhevnikov N. N. Philosophical understanding of the key centuries of Russian history, Part
II. Bifurcation points // Science and technology in Yakutia. 2015. no. 2 (29). pp. 88-95.
6. Kozhinov VV Epic // Literary encyclopedia of terms and concepts. M.: In-telvak, 2001. S.
1236-1239.
7. Kozhinov VV Victories and troubles of Russia. Russian culture as a product of
history. Moscow: Algorithm, 2000. 444 p.
8. Maksimova V. A. From the creative history of M. Gorky’s novel “The Artamonov Case” //
Gorky Readings. 1947-48. M.-L., 1949. S. 139-154.
9. Mashinsky S. I. S. T. Aksakov. Life and art. M.: Fiction, 1973. 575 p.
10. Nikolaeva N. A. Transformation of the genre of family notes in the 18th-19th centuries. in
the "Family Chronicle" S. T. Aksakov // Materials for the dictionary of plots and motives of
Russian literature. Novosibirsk, 2004. Issue. 6. S. 64-82.
11. Nikolsky E. V. The genre of the novel of the family chronicle in Russian and Ukrainian
literature // Vyunik of the Dnshropetrovsk State University named after Alfred Nobel. Series
Phso-lopchsh science. 2013. No. 1 (5). pp. 67-82.
iCan't find what you need? Try the Literature Selection Service .
12. Nikolsky E. V. The genre of the family chronicle novel in Russian literature at the turn of the
millennium // Bulletin of the Adyghe State University. Maykop, 2011. No. 4. S. 29-34.
13. Nikolsky E. V. The origins and development of the “family chronicle” genre in Russian
literature: from Nestor to the present day // Traditions in Russian literature. Nizhny Novgorod,
2011, pp. 11-23.
14. Nikolsky E. V. On the issue of the specifics of the genre of the family chronicle novel and its
origin in Russian classical literature // Cyril and Methodius Readings. M., 2009. S. 314-323.
15. Nikolsky E. V. Nizhny Novgorod family chronicles in the all-Russian context of the history
of the genre // Nizhny Novgorod text of Russian literature. Nizhny Novgorod, 2011, pp. 65-75.
16. Nikolsky E. V. Bunin's story "Dry Valley" in the context of genre problems // I. A. Bunin
and the XXI century. Materials of the international scientific conference dedicated to the 140th
anniversary of the birth of the writer. Yelets, 2011, pp. 95-100.
17. Nikolsky E. V. Roman A. M. Gorky “The Artamonov Case” as a family chronicle // M.
Gorky and Culture (Gorky Readings-2010. Proceedings of the XXXIV International Scientific
Conference). Nizhny Novgorod, 2012, pp. 180-189.
18. Nikolsky E. V. The semantic role of the motive of the father's house in family chronicles //
Bulletin of the Adyghe State University. Series Philology and Art Criticism. Issue. No. 1
(96). Maykop, 2012. S. 73-78.
19. Nikolsky E. V. Family chronicles and novels-rivers: similarities and differences of closely
related types of prose // Korman Readings. Izhevsk, 2012. Issue. 11. S. 412-420.
20. Nikolsky E. V. Forms of representation of the history of generations in world literature //
Korman readings. Issue. 10. Izhevsk, 2011, pp. 238-246.
21. Nikolsky E. V. Forms of representation of family history in the early works of Orkhan
Pamuk // Literary text of the XX century: problems of poetics. Materials of the V International
Scientific Conference. Chelyabinsk, 2012. S. 259-265.
22. Ikolsky S.V. yak pi3Hi tipi prosi // Vyunik Prykarpattsky University. Philology. Ivano-
Frankivsk, 2013. VIP. 38-39. pp. 86-90.
23. Sozina E.K. Consciousness and writing in Russian literature. Yekaterinburg: Publishing
House of the Ural University, 2002. 549 p.
24. Tatyanina A. G. Early L. N. Tolstoy and S. T. Aksakov. To the problem of the family novel
genre // Problems of literary genres. Tomsk, 1999. Part 1. S. 259-263.
25. Utekhin N. P. Genres of epic prose. Leningrad: Nauka, Leningrad. Department, 1982. 185 p.
26. Chicherin A. V. The emergence of the epic novel. M.: Soviet writer, 1975. 376 p.
27. Esalnek A. Ya. Typology of the novel. M.: MGU, 1991. 159 p.
28. Esalnek A. Ya. On the issue of the specifics of the novel // Philological Sciences. 1968. No.
5. S. 32-41.
References
1. Apt S. Tomas Mann [Tomas Mann] Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya Publ., 1972. 352 p. (In
Russian).
2. Belinskij VG Full sobranie sochinenij: V13 t. [Complete Works: In 13 vols.] AN SSSR, In-t
rus. literature (Pushkin. Dom). Moscow: Izd-vo AN SSSR, 1953-1959. T. 5 (In Russian).
3. Bykov Dmitry. Saga o forsazhah [Saga about afterburner] Elektronnyj resources. URL:
http://www.ogoniok.ru/5031/26/ (data obrashcheniya: 11/25/2020) (In Russian).
4. Gricanova MV Sootnesenie golosov rasskazchikov v povesti ST Aksakova "Children's gody
Bagrova-vnuka" [Correlation of the voices of storytellers in the story of ST Aksakov "The
childhood years of Bagrov-grandson"] Problemy literaturnyh zhanrov [Problems of literary
genres] Tomsk, 1987. Pp. 59-60 (In Russian).
5. Kozhevnikov NN Filosofskoe osmyslenie klyuchevyh vekov rossijskoj istorii CH. II. Tochki
bifurkacii [Philosophical comprehension of the key centuries of Russian history Part
II. Bifurcation points] Nauka i tekhnika v YAkutii [Science and technology in Yakutia]. 2015.
no. 2 (29). pp. 88-95 (In Russian).
6. Kozhinov VV Epopeya [Epic] Literaturnaya enciklopediya terminov i ponyatij [Literary
encyclopedia of terms and concepts] Moscow: Intelvak Publ., 2001. Pp. 1236-1239 (In Russian).
7. Kozhinov VV Pobedy i bedy Rossii. Rus. kul'tura kakporozhdenie istorii [Victories and
troubles of Russia. Russian culture as a product of history] Moscow: Algoritm, 2000. 444 p. (In
Russian).
8. Maksimova VA Iz tvorcheskoj istorii romanaM. Gor'kogo "Delo Artamonovyh [From the
creative history of M. Gorky's novel "The Artamonovs Case] Gor'kovskie chteniya [Gorky
readings] 1947-48. Moscow-Leningrad, 1949. Pp. 139-154 (In Russian).
9. Mashinskij SIST Aksakov. Zhizn' i tvorchestvo [ST Aksakov. Life and creation] Moscow:
Hudozhestvennaya literature Publ., 1973. 575 p. (In Russian).
10. Nikolaeva NA Transformaciya zhanra semejnyh zapisok XVIII-XIX centuries. v "Semejnoj
hronike" ST Aksakov [Transformation of the genre of family notes in the 18th - 19th
centuries. in "Family Chronicle" ST Aksakov] Materialy k slovaryu syuzhetov i motivov russkoj
literatury [Materials for the dictionary of plots and motives of Russian literature] Novosibirsk,
2004. Vyp. 6.Pp. 64-82 (In Russian).
11. Nikol'skij EV ZHanr romana semejnoj hroniki v russkoj i ukrainskoj literaturah [The genre
of the family chronicle novel in Russian and Ukrainian literature] Visnik Dnipropetrovs'kogo
universitetu imeni Al'freda Nobelya. Seriya Filologichni nauki [Bulletin of the Alfred Nobel
Dnepropetrovsk University. Series Philological Sciences] 2013. No. 1(5). pp. 67-82 (In Russian).
39
12. Nikol'skij EV ZHanr romana semejnoj hroniki v russkoj literature rubezha tysyache-letij
[Genre of the novel of family chronicles in Russian literature at the turn of the millennium]
Vestnik Adygejskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of the Adyghe State University]
Majkop, 2011 No. 4. Pp. 29-34 (In Russian).
13. Nikol'skij EV Istoki i razvitie zhanra "semejnaya hronika" v russkoj literature: ot Nestora do
nashih dnej [The origins and development of the genre "family chronicle" in Russian literature:
from Nestor to the present] Tradicii v russkoj literature [ Traditions in Russian literature] Nizhnij
Novgorod, 2011. Pp. 11-23 (In Russian).
14. Nikol'skij EV K voprosu o specifike zhanra romana semejnoj hroniki i ego zarozhdenii v
russkoj klassicheskoj literature [On the specificity of the genre of the family chronicle novel and
its origin in Russian classical literature] Kirillo-Mefodievskie chteniya [Cyril and Methodius
Readings ] Moscow, 2009. Pp. 314-323 (In Russian).
15. Nikol'skij EV Nizhegorodskie semejnye hroniki v obshcherossijskom kontekste istorii zhanra
[Nizhny Novgorod family chronicles in the all-Russian context of the history of the genre]
Nizhegorodskij tekst russkoj literatury [Nizhny Novgorod text of Russian literature] Nizhnij
Nov-grod, 2011 pp. 65-75 (In Russian).
16. Nikol'skij EV Povest'Bunina "Suhodol" v kontekste zhanrovojproblematiki [Bunin's story
"Sukhodol" in the context of genre problems] IA Bunin i XXI century. Materialy mezhdunarod-
noj nauchnoj konferecii, posvyashchennoj 140-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya spisatelya [IA Bunin
and the XXI century. Materials of the international scientific conference dedicated to the 140th
anniversary of the birth of the writer] Elec, 2011. Pp. 95-100 (In Russian).
17. Nikol'skij EV Roman AM Gor'kogo "Delo Artamonovyh" kak semejnaya hronika [AM
Gorky's novel "The Artamonovs Case" as a family chronicle]M. Gor'kij i kul'tura (Gor'kov-skie
chteniya-2010. Materialy XXXIVMezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferencii) [M. Gorky and Culture
(Gorky Readings-2010. Materials of the XXXIV International Scientific Conference)] Nizhnij
Novgorod, 2012. Pp. 180-189 (In Russian).
18. Nikol'skij EV Semanticheskaya rol' motiva otchego doma v semejnyh hronikah [The
semantic role of the father's house motive in family chronicles] Vestnik Adygejskogo
gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya Filologiya i iskusstvovedenie [Bulletin of the Adyghe
State University. Series Philology and Art Criticism] Vyp. No. 1 (96). Maikop, 2012. Pp. 73-78
(In Russian).
19. Kormanovskie chteniya [Kormanovskie readings] Izhevsk, 2012. Vyp. 11.Pp. 412420 (In
Russian).
20. Nikol'skij EV Formy reprezentacii istorii pokolenij v mirovoj literature [Forms of
representation of the history of generations in world literature] Kormanovskie chteniya
[Kormanovskie readings]. Vyp. 10. Izhevsk, 2011. Pp. 238-246 (In Russian).
21. Nikol'skij EV Formy reprezentacii semejnoj istorii v rannem tvorchestve Orhana Pamuka
[Forms of representation of family history in the early work of Orhan Pamuk] Literaturnyj tekst
XXveka: problemy poetiki. Materialy V Mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferencii [Literary text of
the XX century: problems of poetics. Materials of the V International Scientific Conference]
Chelyabinsk, 2012. Pp. 259-265 (In Russian).
22. Nikol's'kij €. V. Simejni hroniki ta romani-epope'i yakrizni tipiprozi [Family chronicles and
epic novels as different types of prose] VisnikPrikarpats'kogo universitetu. Filologia. Ivano-
Frankivs'k [Bulletin of the Carpathian University. philosophy. Ivano-Frankivsk] 2013. Vip. 38-
39. pp. 86-90 (In Ukrainian).
23. Sozina EK Soznanie ipis'mo v russkoj literature [Consciousness and writing in Russian
literature] Ekaterinburg: Izd-vo Ural'skogo un-ta, 2002. 549 p. (In Russian).
40
24. Tat'yanina AG Rannij LN Tolstoj i ST Aksakov. K probleme zhanra semejnogo romana
[Early LN Tolstoy and ST Aksakov. On the problem of the genre of a family novel] Problemy
literaturnyh zhanrov [Problems of literary genres] Tomsk, 1999. CH. 1.Pp. 259-263 (In Russian).
25. Utekhin NP ZHanry epicheskojprozy [Epic prose genres] Leningrad: Nauka, Leningr. otd-nie
Publ., 1982. 185 p. (In Russian).
26. CHicherin AV Vozniknovenie romana-epopei [The emergence of the epic novel] Moscow:
Sovetskij pisatel' Publ., 1975. 376 p. (In Russian).
27. Esalnek A. YA. Tipologiya romana [Typology of the novel] Moscow: MGU, 1991. 159
p. (In Russian).
28. Esalnek A. YA. K voprosu o specifike romana [On the specificity of the novel] Filolog-
icheskie nauki [Philological sciences] 1968. No. 5. Pp. 32-41 (In Russian).