Genres of modern literature: what do we read? The role of elite and mass culture in the modern world Elite and mass literature in the modern world.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

"TYUMEN STATE UNIVERSITY"

FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF Publishing and Editing

classical, elite and mass

literature: book publishing strategies

BY DISCIPLINE SPECIALIZATION

FOR 3rd YEAR STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY

(SPECIALTY О21500

"Publishing and Editing"

PUBLISHING HOUSE

TYUMEN STATE UNIVERSITY

2006

Published by decision of the educational and methodological council of the Faculty of Philology

Work program and guidelines "Classical, elite and popular literature: book publishing strategies" for students from the course of the ODO of the Faculty of Philology, specialty 021500 - "Publishing and Editing"

Dr. philol. Sciences, Professor of the Department of Publishing and Editing

Reviewers:

Dr. philol. Sciences, Professor of the Department of Russian

Literature;

Dr. philol. Sciences, Professor, Department of Foreign Literature

Responsible for the issue: Doctor of Philology. sciences, professor

The work program contains the scientific and methodological substantiation of the discipline, the thematic plan of the discipline, a list of lecture topics and special annotations to them, control questions, a list of scientific and critical literature

© Tyumen State University

Our most entrenched, our most indisputable

Beliefs are always the most dubious.

J. Ortega y Gasset

1. explanatory note

The course "Classical, Elite and Mass Literature: Book Publishing Strategies" is taught to students-"publishers" in the cycle of disciplines of specialization. It relies on their knowledge of the history of Russian and foreign literature, the "Modern Literary Process" and creates an information base for mastering the courses "Regional Book Publishing", "Modern Domestic and Foreign Publishing", "Psychology and Sociology of Reading".

Course objective:to teach students to freely navigate the problems of literary hierarchy and the specifics of publishing strategies associated with "high", "middle" and "low" literature.

Tasks course :

§ To help students learn the criteria for distinguishing between high, low and medium literature;

§ To teach students to practically distinguish between works of various literary series (elitist, classical, mass, marginal literature);

§ To acquaint students with the market of classical, elite and mass literature in modern Russia, to study its problems and development prospects;

§ To help students develop projects for the publication of elite, classical and popular literature in Tyumen and the region.

The volume of the course for ODO students is 34 lecture hours, the final form of control is a test.

2. Thematic plan for studying the discipline

TOPICS OF LECTURES

1. "Top", "Middle" and "Bottom" of Fiction: The Problem of Criteria

The functioning of literature in society and the problem of literary hierarchy: literature of the first and second row; "literary generals"; concept top, middle and "bottom" of literature; literary establishment; marginal literature etc. subjective and objective criteria classifying literature as "high" or "low". Relativity of criteria. Axiology(value theory) and literary hierarchy. Types of values(personal, group, national, universal, absolute) and subjective criteria for referring literature to one or another "series". concept literary / cultural norm.

Independent work

Practical task: To what "series" of literature and on what basis would you attribute the story of the modern writer S. Kupryashina "One Day in the Life of Serafima Genrikhovna"? (Time to give birth: Collection / Compiled by Vik. Erofeev. M., 2001. S. 57-61).

2. Elite art: history and modern understanding of the phenomenon

concept elite art in the treatises of J. Ortega y Gasset "The Dehumanization of Art" (1925) and "The Revolt of the Masses" (1930). Definition of elite art through the situation of cultural crisis at the turn of X I X-XX centuries concept elite and mass person. Ideas about elite art as a new art, the language of which is understandable only to a narrow circle of professionals and connoisseurs.

Elite and classical art. The fate of elite art. Avant-garde, modernism, postmodernism and elite art. contemporary art and elite art. Elite art in the context of unofficial / official art.

Independent work

Practical task: Consider from the point of view of "criteria of elitism" a collection of poems by Vs. N. Nekrasov "Help". M.: Publishing house " PS", 1991.

3. Market of elite literature

Elite literature from the point of view of the writer, publisher and reader. Social efficiency and commercial publishing strategy elite literature.

Specificity editorial work over elite literature.

Independent work

Practical task: Discussion of projects for the publication of elite literature in Tyumen.

4. The phenomenon of classics: the history of the concept, the criteria for a classical work

Classicas a concept that makes it possible to realize the national (universal) cultural identity.

The history of the concept of "classic". Criteria for a classic.

Independent work

Practical task: To analyze from the point of view of "criteria of classicism" of the work the short story "Clean Monday".

5. Literary success, fame, immortality. Success Strategies from a Writer's and Publisher's Perspective

How do they become classics? Stages of canonization of Russian classics. Paradoxes of the literary fate of writers/works (on the example of the fate of W. Shakespeare, F. Tyutchev, Cervantes' Don Quixote, Petrarch's Canzoniere, etc.). "Production in the classics" as the destruction of the writer (on the example of the fate of M. Prishvin).

The concept of literary success and glory. Success Strategies in history and modernity. Literary reputation. The concept of literary bestseller.

Independent work

Practical task: To analyze from the point of view of the categories of success / fame / reputation / immortality the literary destiny and V.O. Pelevin.

6. The fate of the classics in modern society. Classic Literature Market

The fate of the classics in modern society. Sociological survey data and their analysis: which social groups and for what purpose read the classics today? State and memorial status of classics in modern Russia.

Modern theater, cinema, television and their role in the fate of classical literature. concept remake, publishing fate of remakes (series "New Russian Roman" publishing house "Zakharov").

"Negative dynamics" classical literature market in modern Russia. Leading publishing houses in the production of classical literature. The role of regional publishers in the release of classics.

Independent work

Practical task:

7. Projects of publishing classics in Tyumen

Projects of publishing classics in Tyumen: the search for new strategies.

8. Fiction from the point of view of the writer, publisher, reader

Term meaning "fiction" in modern science.

Fictionas literature of the "second" row, the middle space of literature. Fiction and classics. Fiction and mass literature. Criteria for "fiction". Fiction from the point of view of the author, publisher and reader.

Fiction Market in modern Russia: problems of development.

Independent work

Practical task: Determine the place of the story by S. Sakin and P. Tetersky "More Ben" (2001) in the literary hierarchy.

9. Mass literature as a problem of modern culture

The phenomenon of the literary "bottom": mass, popular, a commercial, formula, trivial literature, paraliterature, pulp fiction, literary pop and others. Mass Literature as a Historical and Cultural Problem: "Spiritual Garbage Chute" (V. Pelevin) and an Ambivalent Phenomenon. Destructive for culture and positive properties of mass literature. Escapism and the psychotherapeutic function of mass literature.

Mass Literature as Formula Literature. Types of literary formulas.

Independent work

Practical task: Read Articles Vic. Erofeeva: 1) Garbage on a scoop (love for a detective); 2) Love for stupidity // Vic. Erofeev. : Publishing house Z EbraE, 2001, pp. 244-268. Give your assessment of Vik's position. Erofeev.

10. Detective, Action, Thriller: Writer, Publisher, Reader

Detective, action movie, thriller like literary formulas. Classics of the detective genre and modern Russian detective. Modern Russian fighter. Thriller as a genre of popular literature: classics of the genre and modern domestic experiences.

Peculiarities mass literature editing.

Independent work

Practical task: To analyze the successful commercial project of G. Chkhartishvili “B. Akunin" based on the methodology of D. Cavelti.

Literature:

1. http://www. *****

2. The Akunin case // New Russian book. 2000. No. 4.

11. Love novel: writer, publisher, reader

Female love story as a type of formulaic narrative. The history of the genre and the modern Russian version (pink and black fiction). Portrait of a reader of a romance novel. Problems of publishing a sentimental novel in Russia.

Independent work

Practical task: On the example of the analysis of a specific text (text of choice), find out what relation the ironic detective by D. Dontsova has to the canon of a women's love story.

12. Fantasy and science fiction: writer, publisher, reader

Fantasy ( science fiction), alternative history and fantasy as types of formulaic narrative and types of publication. Peculiarities of editorial preparation of fantastic literature. Portrait of a reader of fantasy literature.

Classics of the genre (, etc.). The fantasy genre in modern Russia (N. Perumov, M. Semenova, S. Lukyanenko and others).

Independent work

Practical task: On the example of the commercial success of the film version of "Day Watch" ("Night Watch") by S. Lukyanenko, to analyze the reasons for the demand for fantasy in modern Russia.

13. Market of mass literature in modern Russia

XX century as a century "uprisings of the masses" and the preservation of the creative minority as a task of modern culture.

Independent work

The study and discussion of material from the magazine "Book Business" (2004. No. 5. S. 4-9): The market for detective and adventure literature; Market of fantastic and mystical literature.

14. Technology for creating bestsellers

Literary masterpiece and best-seller. The commercial potential of the book.

Text and non-text bestseller creation strategies. The role of the editor and literary agent in creating a bestseller.

Independent work

1. Reading and discussion of R. Webster's book "How to write a bestseller" (M., 2005).

2. : a product of a PR company or a diagnosis of modern culture? See: On the plurality of worlds // New Literary Review. 2003. No. 6 (64). pp. 437-441.

15. Projects of publishing mass literature in Tyumen

Projects of publishing mass literature in Tyumen. The experience of publishing a series of political thrillers "Sloy" in the publishing house Mandr and Ka.

16. Marginal art and its publishing fate

Marginal art and his publishing destiny. The art of outsiders, the mentally ill, children, non-professional writers. question about obscene vocabulary in literature. Literature and drugs, the phenomenon of Bayan Shiryanov. Literature and prison. Publishing fate of E. Limonov. Publisher's experience Ad Marginem".

Independent work

Practical task: Read article Vic. Erofeev "The last convulsions of the Russian mat" // Erofeev Vik. God X: Tales of Love. M.: Publishing house Z EbraE, 2001, pp. 196-201. Give your assessment of the position of the author.

Questions and assignments for the test

1. To develop a project for the publication of elite literature in Tyumen.

2. To develop a project for the publication of classical literature in Tyumen.

3. Develop a project for the publication of mass literature in Tyumen.

LITERATURE FOR THE COURSE

1. A work of art in the era of its technical reproducibility. M., 1996.

2. Literaturocracy (the problem of appropriation and redistribution of power in literature). M., 2000.

3. Field of Literature” // New Literary Review. No. 45.

4. Historical Genesis of Pure Aesthetics // New Literary Review. 2003. No. 2 (No. 60).

5. The market of symbolic production // Questions of sociology. 1993. no. 1/2 , 5.

6. The image of the book and its social addressing // Literature as a social phenomenon (articles on the sociology of literature). M., 1994. S. 195-258.

7. Social process and literary samples // Literature as a social institution (articles on the sociology of literature). M., 1994. S. 99-151.

8. Literature and Society: An Introduction to the Sociology of Literature. M., 1998.

9. "Literary Today": a Sociologist's View // Word - Letter - Literature (Essays on the Sociology of Culture). M., 2001. S. 175-182.

10. Intellectual groups and symbolic forms: essays on the sociology of modern culture. M., 2004.

11. Russian intelligentsia between classics and mass culture // Word - letter - literature (essays on the sociology of culture). M., 2001. S. 329-341.

12. Classical and mass literature // Word - letter - literature (essays on the sociology of culture). M., 2001. S. 306-323.

13. Journal "Critical Mass" // http://**/km.

14. Zimina publishing strategies: from traditional book publishing to network technologies of cultural memory. M., 2004.

15. Cavelti J. Adventure, Mystery and Love Story: Formulaic Narratives as Art and Popular Culture // New Literary Review. No. 22.

16. King St. How to write books. M., 2001.

17. Lotman literature as a historical and cultural problem // . Fav. articles. In 3 volumes. T. 3. Tallinn, 1993. S. 380-388.

18. marginal art. M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1999.

19. On the issue of distinguishing between the concepts of "classics" and "fiction" // Classics and Modernity. M., 1999. S. 53-66.

20. Ortega-i- Revolt of the Masses // Ortega-i- Aesthetics. Philosophy of culture. M., 1991. pp. 309-350.

21. Ortega-i- Dehumanization of art // Ortega-i- Aesthetics. Philosophy of culture. M., 1991. pp. 218-259.

22. Popular Literature. Experience of cultural mythmaking in America and Russia. M., 2003.

23. Reitblat Grassroots Books // Reitblat Pushkin Came Out as a Genius (Historical and Siciological Essays). M., 2001. S. 157-181.

24. Reitblat "bestsellers" of the first half of X I 10th century // Reitblat Pushkin came out as a genius (historical and sociological essays). M., 2001. S. 191-203.

25. Mass culture // Dictionary of culture of the XX century. M., 1999.

26. How to write a bestseller. M., 2005.

27. Khalizev. M., 1999. S. 122-142.

28. How to write a bestseller (recipe for a super novel that will be read by millions). M.: Armada, 1997.

II. Literature about specific genres of mass literature.

1. Detective

a) Signs: Evidence paradigm and its roots // New Literary Review. 1994. No. 2(8). pp. 32-61.

a) How to make a detective M., 1990.

b) www. fandorin. en.

c) www. dariadoncova. by. ru.

2. Action

a) A Test of Consistency: Toward the Sociological Poetics of the Russian Action Novel // New Literary Review. 1996. No. 22. S. 252-275.

3. Pink romance

a) The formula of female happiness // New literary review. No. S. 292-302.

b) Pink novel as a desire machine // New Literary Review. No. S. 303-330.

c) The Discourse of Love: Love as a Social Relationship and Its Representation in Literary Discourse. M., 1997.

4. Fantasy and science fiction

d) http :// edu 5. people . ru / library _ sci - fi _1. html.

e) www. interactiva. org.

f) www. fantasyley. org.

2. Thematic plan for studying the discipline ... 4

3. The content of the discipline ... 6

LITERATURE FOR THE COURSE. thirteen

Key concepts are in bold.

Today I would like to talk about modern literature and those genres and types that have already taken shape in it. I do not take into account the classical division into epic, lyrical and dramatic genres with their inherent genres. It will be about the modern book and what is now popular and fashionable.

First of all, modern literature can be divided into two types:

- fiction(fiction - fiction)

- non-fiction(non-fiction - non-fiction).

With non-fiction, everything is more or less clear: these are scientific, semi-scientific and pseudo-scientific works on psychology, nutrition, education, parenting, etc. Someday we will definitely talk about this species and the genre division within it.

Fiction in the modern literary process for the most part is subject to "Western" influence. What is fashionable and sold "with them", we are trying to apply in our market. Hence the division of literature into four main types:

- classic

- elite literature

- mainstream

- genre literature.

About everything in order.

1. Classic is going through difficult times now: in terms of criticism. Tolstoy is increasingly called "a dull graphomaniac", Dostoevsky - "paranoid", Gogol - "processor of primary material". There are more and more destroyers of stereotypes, ready to criticize any writer whose authority, it would seem, is undeniable. Nevertheless, the classics continue to be popular among thinking readers accustomed to quality literature.

2. Elite literature emerged as the antipode of the mass media, as its main "competitor" and "opponent". Elite literature was created in narrow circles of writers, clergy, representatives of high society and was saturated with vocabulary and images that were accessible and understandable only to a certain stratum. In the modern world, the concept of elite literature is somewhat blurred: thanks to the rapid spread of information, the fashion for everything unusual and the desire of many to be “not like everyone else”, elite literature is going to the masses. A vivid example of this is the work of V. Pelevin: in the "zero" everyone read his novels, but few understood what they were about.

3. Mainstream (from the English mainstream - the main stream, the main stream) is a realistic prose that displays what is happening "here and now." Very popular today. The plots of realistic prose are based on the fate of real people, their (as well as the writer's) life principles and worldview. The mainstream is characterized by psychologism, realism of images and phenomena, and a focus on philosophy. What is important here is not so much the plot, but the inner development of the hero, his thoughts and decisions, his transformation. In my opinion, the Western term “mainstream” does not quite accurately reflect the essence of this genre, because after all, the “main stream” in the modern book market is not realistic prose, but genre (moreover, serial) literature. About her below.

4. So, genre literature . Here it is necessary to indicate in detail the categories existing in it:

Detective

Fantasy

fantasy

Love story

Thriller

Mystic

Action/Action

Adventures

Historical novel

Vanguard

As you can see, the genres are very similar to cinematic ones. And in fact, books that belong to genre literature are reminiscent of movies: they have a lot of action, the main role is played by the plot and plot collisions, i.e. the so-called "outer side". Each of these areas has its branches. So, the detective is divided into historical, ironic, psychological, etc.

Genre literature is characterized by certain limits, which is why it is often criticized and accused of being "predictable". But, tell me, where is the predictability that the separated lovers will meet at the end of the book? This is exactly the framework of the genre, known in advance to both the writer and the reader. The special skill of the writer is to create a unique, inimitable world with interesting characters capable of reaching out to the reader within these well-known frameworks.

A writer, like no one else, must understand modern genres in order to orient his work to a particular reader. Because it is the reader who determines what he is interested in reading at the moment - about the invasion of zombies or the problems of self-identification of the hero in the conditions of the global financial crisis)).

In the modern scientific paradigm, there is a mixture of terms and concepts: classics, fiction, popular literature. From the point of view of M.A. Chernyak, these phenomena form a triad, or a pyramid, at the base of which is masslit, and fiction is the "middle field" of literature Chernyak, M.A. Mass literature of the XX century: a textbook. for students of higher educational institutions / M.A. Chernyak. - M.: Flinta: Nauka, 2007. - P. 18.. This theory explains why, when studying all three layers of literature, the boundary problem arises: there are transition zones between them, where there are texts that gravitate to two levels at once. Finally, their position is determined in retrospect, and the required time period can be measured in centuries, and in each case it will be individual. However, any work of art has a number of features that allow not only a descendant, but also a contemporary of the author, with a high degree of probability, to classify his work as a classic, fiction or popular literature.

Literature has long been divided into elite (high) and folk (folklore, low). By the 10s and 20s, the term mass literature appears. It corresponds to several related, but not identical, concepts: popular, trivial, paraliterature, tabloid. All this makes up the value bottom of the literary hierarchy (1. Elite 2. Fiction, 3. M. L.). If we talk about the value definition, then some critics call popular literature pseudo-literature, or these are works that are not included in the official literary hierarchy of their time. That is, mass literature is the result of the division of fiction according to its aesthetic quality. In elite literature, the rate is on performance skills, creativity, ambiguity, and in mass literature on standardization, genre, and a clear assignment of functions. Elite literature is a donor, mass literature is a recipient.

The term "fiction" is often referred to in the sense of "mass literature" as opposed to "high literature". In the narrow sense, fiction is light literature, reading for recreation, a pleasant pastime at leisure.

Fiction is a "middle field" of literature, whose works are not distinguished by high artistic originality and are focused on the average consciousness, appealing to generally accepted moral and ethical values. Fiction is closely related to fashion and stereotypes, popular topics, and can also deal with serious and current social issues and problems. The types of heroes, their professions, habits, hobbies - all this correlates with the mass information space and the ideas of the majority circulating in it. However, at the same time, unlike mass literature, fiction is distinguished by the presence of the author's position and intonation, deepening into human psychology. However, there is no clear distinction between fiction and popular literature.

Basically, fiction writers reflect social phenomena, the state of society, moods, and very rarely they project their own view into this space. Unlike classical literature, over time, it loses its relevance and, as a result, popularity. Fiction is distinguished by its entertaining content, it gravitates towards plot, such genres as ladies' novel, detective story, adventure, mysticism, etc. New ways of depicting reality found within the framework of fiction are inevitably replicated, turning into features of the genre.

Elite literature, its essence is associated with the concept of the elite and is usually opposed to popular, mass literature.

Elite (elite, French - chosen, best, selective, selective), as a producer and consumer of this type of literature in relation to society, represents the highest, privileged layers (layer), groups, classes that perform the functions of management, development of production and culture.

The definitions of the elite in different sociological and cultural theories are ambiguous. In fact, elite literature is a product "not for everyone" because of its high level; original, unconventional methods of presenting material that create a "barrier" for the perception of art by unprepared readers. Thus, elite literature is a kind of "subculture".

Mass literature is a set of literary genres and forms addressed to an unqualified reader who perceives a work without reflection on its artistic nature, and therefore is of a simplified nature.

If we talk about the value definition, then some critics call popular literature pseudo-literature, or these are works that are not included in the official literary hierarchy of their time. That is, M.L. it is the result of dividing fiction according to its aesthetic quality. Accordingly, it becomes possible to speak about the culture of the elite ("elitist culture") and the culture of the "mass" - "mass culture". During this period, there is a division of culture, due to the formation of new social strata, gaining access to a full-fledged education, but not belonging to the elite.

In the late 1990s there was an obvious marginalization and commercialization of certain layers of culture; Literature began to turn into one of the channels of mass communication, which is clearly manifested in modern literary practice. The term "mass literature" refers rather to a certain genre paradigm, which includes detective, science fiction, fantasy, melodrama, etc. M.L. also has the names "trivial", "formula", "paraliterature", "popular literature".

The task of popular literature is not to make the reader aware of his own experience, but to allow him to withdraw into himself, to create his own idealized world that has nothing to do with the real world. In the field of popular literature, as a rule, no one asks the question of what is good and evil. Value problems in popular literature are solved once and for all. Standardization as the basis of communicative relations between the author and the reviewer is so strong that the reader can replace the writer. This is not due to an increase in the reader's creative activity, but due to general inertia, unwillingness to think and change. The collective producer addresses the collective reader. At the same time, the audience of mass literature is not only mass, but also specific, well-interrogated. Habitual clichéd expectations must be met rigidly and rigorously. Distinctive features of mass literature are the extreme closeness to the elementary needs of a person, focus on natural sensibility, strict subordination to social needs, simplicity in the production of a high-quality (meeting the needs of a particular social group) consumer product.

In elite literature (literature intended for the aesthetic service of the educated part of the community with developed cultural needs), the author constantly violates the rules of the genre, confuses the cards. Such a manner, the search for new solutions, does not suit readers who set them up to respect the genre structure, hence the unpleasant effect of mass culture, as a fall in the general culture and the culture of reading in particular. All products of the mass media, mass literature, yellow press, serials are easily assimilated automatically, so the recipient gets out of the habit of going beyond genre expectations. Popular literature is so popular because it draws on the archetypes of human existence: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, three sons; life / death, good / evil, the fate of the character. There are archetypal feelings such as love. Archetypes are the same for all mankind, therefore mass literature is international.

The emergence of mass literature in the West was facilitated by 2 factors:

• 1. The development of universal literacy in the early 20th century,
• 2. Reducing the cost of cultural products - for example, the appearance of a pocket format.

For these two reasons, reading becomes available to the general public (and not just the educated elite, as before), and publishers begin to reckon with the tastes of new readers, simple and undemanding.

By the middle of the 20th century, literature, which began to bring tangible income, became the subject of marketing, and publishing became a very profitable business. The demand for good style, depth of thought, and everything that was previously considered mandatory for literature ceases to play a fundamental role, because. Publishers' interests are now centered on what they can get the most out of. As a rule, from large circulations, which directly depend on the number of potential buyers. Therefore, publishing activity ceases to focus on a small cultural elite, but "goes to the masses." Mass literature thus receives a powerful commercial impetus for development.

The formation of popular literature was influenced by such factors as: the commercialization of writing and its involvement in market relations, the scientific and technological process, the development of book publishing, democratization, and industrialization.

The canonical principle underlies all the genre-thematic varieties of mass literature, which now make up its genre-thematic repertoire. This repertoire, which took shape around the middle of the 20th century, usually includes such varieties of the novel genre as a detective story, a spy novel, an action movie, fantasy, thrillers, a love, ladies', sentimental, or pink novel (romance), a costume-historical novel with an admixture of melodrama or even a pornographic novel.

Detective (eng. detective, from lat. detego - reveal, expose) - a predominantly literary and cinematic genre, whose works describe the process of investigating a mysterious incident in order to clarify its circumstances and solve the riddle. Usually, a crime acts as such an incident, and the detective describes its investigation and identification of the perpetrators, in which case the conflict is built on a clash of justice with lawlessness, culminating in the victory of justice. The main feature of the detective as a genre is the presence in the work of a certain mysterious incident, the circumstances of which are unknown and must be clarified. An essential feature of the detective is that the actual circumstances of the incident are not communicated to the reader, at least in their entirety, until the investigation is completed. An important property of the classical detective story is the completeness of the facts. The solution of the mystery cannot be based on information that was not provided to the reader during the description of the investigation.

Trimler (from the English thrill - awe, excitement) - a genre of works of literature and cinema, aimed at evoking feelings of anxious expectation, excitement or fear in the viewer or reader. The genre has no clear boundaries, elements of the thriller are present in many works of different genres.

A pseudo-historical novel is a novel that uses historical figures and plays out events that did not happen or that did not happen. (the story of Pontius Pilate and Yeshua)

It differs from the historical one in that the events described in the latter either happened or could happen.

Fantasy is a genre of fantasy literature based on the use of mythological and fairy-tale motifs.

A love story is a love story. Works in this genre describe the history of love relationships, focusing on the feelings and experiences of the characters. Often the subject of the description is a beautiful and deep love.

The origins of fiction are found as early as the 15th century. So, "The Tale of Dracula", which raises timeless and at the same time topical questions about the struggle of the weak against the strong and the possibilities of those in power, can be classified as pre-fiction. In the 16th century, Russian literature finally abandons the theological point of view on society, the authors become more attentive to the needs of their readers. Fiction is increasingly being used to add fascination to the works. Russian literature of the 18th century is characterized by accusatory pathos: magazine satire by N.I. Novikov, public comedy D.I. Fonvizin, satirical plays and fables by I.A. Krylov, prose by A.N. Radishchev. Early fiction was completely different: it did not push the reader to protest, but provoked reflection, created the prerequisites for further spiritual development. From this point of view, the sentimental works of N.M. Karamzin, where much attention was paid to issues of morality and education of feelings. The stories were a tremendous success, which is typical for samples of popular literature, however, Karamzin's works cannot be attributed to such for a number of reasons. The works "Poor Liza", "Natalya, the Boyar's Daughter", "Marfa Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod" were innovative for their time, they included elements of psychological analysis, detailed descriptions of the feelings and emotions of the characters, otherwise depicted the social structure - through the prism of the personal experiences of the characters . These features of the texts, and, in addition, the simple language of Karamzin's stories, his confidential and unpretentious communication with the reader, at the same time, suggest that the author wrote, guided by inner convictions and not trying to perpetuate himself, like the classicists. However, over time, Karamzin's sentimental stories, due to their artistic merit, began to be considered classics, and not fiction. There was a movement of a group of texts within the pyramid "classics - fiction - mass literature", which we have already mentioned.

In the 19th century, Russian fiction began to differ significantly from what it was a century earlier. Book publishing as a commercial industry attracted more and more authors, and the techniques they adopted began to "blur" the line between fiction and mass literature. The writers used the same themes and imitated the work of the luminaries, it is not difficult to group the authors. So, I.L. Leontiev-Shcheglov ("The First Battle", "Mignon") and A.N. Maslov-Bezhetsky ("Military at War", "Episode from the Siege of Erzerum"), covering military topics, followed L. N. Tolstoy. This trend has discredited fiction.

Popular literature is also, in most cases, inscribed in the context of the era - but only the only one that continues now. Even if these are fantastic works, where events unfold in Victorian England or on the moon, the relationships and values ​​of people are taken from the modern world with its freedoms and cosmopolitan views. For masslit this is necessary, since the texts must be easily accessible for the understanding of contemporary readers. However, mass literature does not recreate the existing picture of the world, and this is its serious difference from fiction. Reading-rest requires something else: an embellished reality, even an image of one or several of its segments is enough. So, in the novels by D. Dontsova, the protagonists, with all the variety of interiors and scenes, find themselves in similar situations and face certain types of enemies. The heroines do not suffer, do not sink into depression, do not make a painful choice - their own fake "world" is created for the readers, where they feel comfortable. Another example is the romance novels of the "Harlequin" series, where the relationship between a man and a woman is endlessly reproduced according to the "prince handsome - Cinderella" model.

In a number of cases, fiction is elevated to the rank of classics for some time by strong-willed decisions of the powerful. Such was the fate of many works of literature of the Soviet period, such as, for example, "How the Steel Was Tempered" by N.A. Ostrovsky, "Rout" and "Young Guard" A.A. Fadeev. aesthetic pseudo-historical novel fiction

Along with fiction that discusses the problems of its time, there are widely used works created with an emphasis on entertainment, light and thoughtless reading. This branch of fiction tends to be "formular" and adventurous, and differs from faceless mass production. The author's individuality is invariably present in it. The thoughtful reader always sees the differences between such authors as A Conan Doyle, J. Simenon, A Christie. No less noticeable is the individual originality in such a kind of fiction as science fiction: R. Bradbury cannot be "confused" with St. Lem, I.A. Efremov - with the Strugatsky brothers. Works that were initially perceived as entertaining reading may, withstanding the test of time, to some extent approach the status of literary classics. Such, for example, is the fate of the novels of A Dumas père, which, while not being masterpieces of verbal art and not marking the enrichment of artistic culture, however, have been loved by a wide range of readers for a whole century and a half.

The right to existence of entertaining fiction and its positive significance (especially for young people) is beyond doubt.

Such recognized classics of world literature as C. Dickens and F.M. Dostoevsky.

Dostoevsky and in later years widely used the narrative techniques characteristic of fiction and mass literature. Artistically rethinking the effects of criminal plots, he used them in his famous novels.

In a broad sense, this is everything in literature that has not been highly appreciated by the artistically educated public: either caused its negative attitude, or remained unnoticed by it. So, Yu.M. Lotman, having distinguished between "top" and "mass" literature, included the poems of F.I. Tyutchev, as they inconspicuously appeared in the Pushkin era. The scientist believes that Tyutchev's poetry went beyond mass literature only when (the second half of the 19th century) when it was highly appreciated by the artistically educated layer.

Objective

Determine what kind of literature should include a series of books by Georgy Chkhartishvili (Boris Akunin) about Erast Fandorin

Work tasks

· Highlight the features of the concepts of elite, mass literature;

· Determine the signs of the above categories in the context of modern literature, give specific examples;

· Consider the work of Boris Akunin in accordance with the selected characteristics of various categories of literature;

Justify your conclusion with concrete examples.

Section I Concepts of elite and mass literature.

mass literature

In the modern reading community, fiction is conventionally divided into two groups:

"elite" literature (approximately 3% of the total flow of published works)

commercial/mass literature (everything else, i.e. 97%)

Elite literature

Elite literature, its essence is associated with the concept of the elite (elite, French - selected selective, selective) and is usually opposed to popular, mass cultures.

Literary critics consider elite literature as the only one capable of preserving and reproducing the basic meanings of culture and having a number of fundamentally important features:

Criteria for elite literature

It is more “long-playing” (remains “in the top” longer)

It can carry a full-fledged ideological charge

It satisfies not only primitive tastes

It's less formulaic and predictable.

Her recipe is harder to replicate

The main way of separating fiction from mere popular literature is the test of time. Fiction continues to be reprinted after many years, while popular literature is clearly "tied" to its era. All other criteria do not allow to draw a clear boundary.

mass literature

Mass literature is part of a large-scale block of mass culture.

Mass works are characterized by ease of assimilation, which does not require a special literary and artistic taste and aesthetic perception, and accessibility to different ages and segments of the population, regardless of their education.

Mass culture is a product of the industrial and post-industrial era, associated with the formation of a mass society. The attitude towards it of researchers of different profiles - culturologists, sociologists, philosophers, etc., is ambiguous. It frightens and repels some with its aggressiveness and pressure, the absence of any moral and ethical restrictions, others delight, others show indifference.

Criteria for popular literature

Circulation (a dubious criterion, because elite literature is not always small-circulation, and mass literature does not always break circulation records);

The brevity of glory (there are a lot of writers of the second row, who also quickly go into oblivion and at the same time are not representatives of mass literature);

General accessibility, understandability (elite literature does not have to be vague and understandable only to a narrow circle of intellectuals);

Commercialization (elite literature does not deny the idea of ​​profit as such, the same Pushkin received good fees for his works and did not consider this “wrong”);

Lack of high ideology, ideological charge in general, entertaining character (elite literature also does not always preach high values, at the same time, in mass literature, certain ideas of a philosophical or political nature that are close to the author are possible);

Orientation to the primitive taste? (how to determine the degree of primitiveness? Who will conduct the examination?);

Satisfaction of the simplest needs? (elite literature may well satisfy them, and mass literature may develop logical thinking or educate citizenship);

High demand, commercial success, the formation of groups of "fans";

Template (repeatability, recognizability, predictability);

The priority of the work over the personality (there is no personality of the author, there is a creative task);

Poverty of expressive means, limited vocabulary (the criterion is almost impossible to apply to translated works, because a well-made literary translation can smooth out the shortcomings of the original text, and vice versa, a mediocre translation will worsen the quality of perception of the original. In addition, in some cases, active, but inept application is possible expressive means - i.e. purely formally, the language is "rich", but the embellishment is perceived by the reader as an excess);

Possibility of reconstruction of the creative process (not reproduction, but decoding of "technology").

In mass literature, as a rule, one can find essays on social customs, a picture of the life of the city.

In general, it should be recognized that the separation of mass literature from "non-mass" literature is an extremely difficult task. A particular work may have a number of features, but at the same time not be a model of mass literature.

Commercial and non-commercial literature.

Due to the fact that mass literature is often correlated with the concepts of commercial success and commercial profit, it is necessary to consider this side of the problem.

The commercialization of literature is associated with the concept of copyright and royalties. It is impossible to make a profit in the conditions of uncontrolled distribution of works through informal channels (for example, during oral transmission).

In the ancient world literatures, the concept of authorship did not exist or it was weakened. Oral forms of verbal creativity do not fit well with personal authorship: with each new performance, the work grows with more or less changes, and the original source (the first narrator, writer) is forgotten.

The first condition for making a profit from literature is the appearance of printing and an increase in circulation.

Written literature provides more opportunities for preserving the name of the author, but the psychological attitude that exists in society plays a significant role here. For example, written literature in Ancient Russia was not focused on emphasizing authorship, while in Ancient Greece it was the other way around.

If authorship as such already exists in ancient written literature, then further steps towards the legal recognition of copyright, as well as the possibility of deriving financial benefits from literary works, were made much later.

But it should be noted that the concepts of "commercially profitable project" and "mass literature" coincide only partially - i.e. there are mass works that were created for the sake of profit and allowed this profit to be received. At the same time, some of the mass productions are commercially unsuccessful - profit orientation does not automatically mean that the profit will be received in the desired amount. And finally, there are "elite" works, which were originally created "without regard" to commercial demand, but which eventually brought huge profits to the copyright holders.

Heroes in popular literature.

The characters act in recognizable social situations and typical environments, facing problems that are close to the general reader. It is no coincidence that critics say that mass literature to some extent replenishes the general fund of artistic human studies.

The construction of a positive hero follows the principle of creating a superman, an immortal, ethical model. Any feats are subject to such a hero, he can solve any crimes and punish any criminal. This is a hero-scheme, a hero-mask, as a rule, devoid of not only individual character traits, biography, but also a name.

Section II “The Adventures of Erast Fandorin”

The story of one of the most famous detectives in Russia was released relatively recently - the first book about Erast Petrovich Fandorin was published in 1998 in Russia and the last one was recently published in 2015. In total there are fourteen "fragments" of this detective mosaic:

1) 1998 - "Azazel"

2) 1998 - "Turkish Gambit"

3) 1998 - "Leviathan"

4) 1998 - "Death of Achilles"

5) 1999 - "Special Assignments"

6) 1999 - "State Councilor"

7) 2000 - "Coronation"

8) 2001 - "The mistress of death"

9) 2001 - "Lover of Death"

10) 2002 - "Diamond Chariot"

11) 2007 - "Jade Rosary"

12) 2009 - "The whole world is a theater"

13) 2012 - "Black City"

14) 2015 - "Planet water"

The essence of the work is quite simple; the life of a person who works for the state and investigates the most complex and intricate cases. At the same time, he is not monotonous, fails with each book, we see him more developed.

The plot of the books is rich in amazing twists and turns, unexpected events that completely change the state of the protagonist. In fourteen interconnected works. Boris Akunin managed to fully depict the life of the protagonist, clearly describe each period of his life, intellectual growth and self-development. Also, the author very accurately prescribes his biography in which there are no gaps.

The popularity of Boris Akunin and his books.

(for the last decade 2000-2010)

According to The-village, one of the largest bookstores in the capital, Moskva, published its own rating of the most bought authors on the eve of the New Year. The result is a simplified, reflecting only the most popular trends, but at the same time an indicative picture. These are exactly the books that were bought the most, about which they talked, writes Pro-Books.ru. True, not all of them will remain in the history of literature.

Most Popular Books of the Decade:

(only books about Erast Fandorin)

6. Boris Akunin "Diamond Chariot" (19,161 copies)

8. Boris Akunin "Lover of Death" (17,561 copies)

9. Boris Akunin "The Mistress of Death" (16,786 copies)

16. Boris Akunin "Jade Rosary" (13,315 copies)

(for example, the first three places)

1. Boris Akunin (198,051 copies)

2. Paolo Coelho (118,723 copies)

3.Joan Rowling (90,581 copies)

Most bought books of each year:

2001 - Boris Akunin "The Mistress of Death" (12,065 copies)

2002 - Joan Rowling "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (10,111 copies)

2003 - Paolo Coelho "Eleven Minutes" (9,745 copies)

2004 - Joan Rowling "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (7,292 copies) 2005 - Oksana Robsky "Casual" (8,838 copies)

2006 - Sergets Minaev "Duhless: A Tale of a Fake Man" (9,463 copies)

2007 - Joan Rowling "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (5,567 copies) 2008 - Evgeny Grishkovets "Asphalt" (6,922 copies)

2009 - Boris Akunin "Falcon and Swallow" (4,655 copies)

2010 - Boris Akunin "The whole world is a theater" (4,710 copies)

The protagonist

Erast Petrovich Fandorin

Boris Akunin about Erast Fandorin:

"If we talk about the detective components of my books, then I am a follower of Conan Doyle." - B. Akunin.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know about Fandorin’s prototypes in life.

There are several in the literature. These are, in fact, those of his predecessors, whom I took as the basis of this very chemical absolute positive hero formulas, from my point of view. Such an impossibly beautiful, very strong, incredibly noble, mysterious, with whom all women fall in love, but he remains cold and indifferent. In literature, outwardly, he is probably most similar to Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, which I don't really like as a character because he's pretty nasty. But he is an imposing, handsome, spectacular man. In terms of speech defects (Fandorin stutters), he looks like my other favorite character, the colonel Nighturs from the "White Guard", who, however, did not stutter, but burred, but this is not important.

The character of Fandorin embodied the ideal of a 19th-century aristocrat: nobility, education, devotion, incorruptibility, loyalty to principles. In addition, Erast Petrovich is handsome, he has impeccable manners, he is popular with the ladies, although he is always alone, and he is unusually lucky in gambling.

Development of Erast Petrovich Fandorin

over 14 books

(For example, consider the first three and the 10th.)

1st book 1998 - "Azazel". About the extraordinary detective Erast Fandorin. He is only twenty years old, he is naive, lucky, fearless (or stupid), noble and attractive. Young Erast Petrovich serves in the police department, on duty and at the behest of his heart, he is investigating an extremely complicated case. At the end of the book, he loses his beloved (Elizabeth) and this greatly affects his condition; he becomes withdrawn, harsh, looks at life more realistically, there is no longer the former youthful romance.

2nd 1998 - "Turkish Gambit" about the detective Erast Fandorin. 1877, the Russian Empire is involved in the most brutal Russian-Turkish war. Falling into despair after the death of his beloved, Erast Petrovich goes to the Balkans as a Serbian volunteer. Fandorin participates in the Russian-Turkish war. Heavy fighting and captivity fall to his lot (which will negatively affect his reputation in Japan). After the successful completion of the Turkish Gambit case, Fandorin, despite the dizzying proposals of the chief of the gendarme department, asks to appoint him to serve "to hell" and is appointed secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Empire in Japan.

3rd "Leviathan" -1998 - 1878. On the way to his duty station, Fandorin revealed a series of mysterious murders that took place in Paris and on the Leviathan passenger ship, there was a fleeting affair in India with one of the passengers, Clarissa Stump, which caused the delay in his arrival in Japan (his arrival is described in the book Diamond the chariot in the volume “ Between the lines”, so immediately to it).

10th 2002 - "Diamond Chariot"

"Dragonfly Catcher" - The action of the first volume of "Dragonfly Catcher" begins in 1905, with a meeting with Staff Captain Rybnikov. In the midst of the Russo-Japanese War - a network of Japanese agents is working very successfully in Russia, but Erast Petrovich Fandorin, experienced and wise over the years, gets in the way.

"Between the lines"- (after the events in the book "Leviathan") The second volume of "Between the Lines" takes us to Japan in 1878. This is the love story of the young diplomat Erast Fandorin and the fatal beauty Midori - a love that changed his whole life.

Now consider a work in which the author

spelled out everything in great detail.

(biography, state of mind)

"Diamond Chariot" volume "Between the Lines"

"Between the Lines" - 1878. Yokohama, Japan. Literally from the first minutes after arriving in the "Land of the Rising Sun", Fandorin again finds himself involved in a political and criminal intrigue, in which the most prominent Japanese politicians, bandits from Yokohama's brothels, as well as mysterious ninja shinobi become participants. Fandorin finds the friendship and devotion of the former robber Masahiro Shibata, whose life and honor (which was valued by Masa more than life) was saved by Fandorin's famous luck in gambling. Masahiro (Masa) from now on becomes Fandorin's valet and his faithful companion in all adventures. In addition, Erast Petrovich meets the beautiful courtesan O-Yumi (real name Midori). Passion flares up between Midori and Fandorin, which, it would seem, managed to melt the crust of ice that covered Erast Petrovich's heart after Lizonka's death. The youthful joy of life returns to him again, which the author very well described through the actions and thoughts of Fandorin. Midori is revealed to be the daughter of Momochi Tamba, the last head of an ancient shinobi clan. Thanks to Momoti, Fandorin is introduced to the skills of the ninja arts. With the help of Midori, Masa and Tamba, Fandorin unravels the tangle of intrigues and punishes the main akunin (villain). But, by a fatal coincidence, Midori has to sacrifice her life to save Erast (in the end it turns out that O-Yumi remained alive, and even gave birth to an illegitimate son, but all this will remain forever a secret for Fandorin). After the "death" of Midori, Fandorin finally closes his heart and devotes himself to the study of the art of "stalking" - shinobi. Momoti Tamba becomes his mentor. This period in the life of Erast Petrovich is covered in the second volume of the novel "The Diamond Chariot".

If we compare the novel "Diamond Chariot"

with the criteria of mass and elite literature, then it can easily be attributed to elite literature.

But I'm watching the big picture of a detective series

novels "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin".

Therefore, let's go through the criteria of mass and then elite literature.

Criteria for popular literature

(most of them, unfortunately, do not give a reliable result when applied, especially if the criteria are used separately, and not in combination):

1- brevity of fame?; Brevity of fame is a relative concept, but the first books have been well bought for fifteen years. -

2- general accessibility, understandability; Yes, this is so, most of the works about Erast Fandorin (especially the first ones) are available to different ages and segments of the population, regardless of their education. +

3- commercialization (mass literature does not deny the idea of ​​profit as such); Yes, Boris Akunin does not deny that he also writes for profit.+

4 - lack of high ideological content, ideological charge in general, entertaining character (elite literature also does not always preach high values, at the same time, in mass literature, certain ideas of a philosophical or political nature that are close to the author are possible); This criterion is very shaky. Yes, in most books there is not much intricacy. +

5- satisfaction of the simplest needs; books about Erast Fandorin satisfy not only the simplest needs, but their full. -

6-pattern (repeatability, recognizability, predictability); The works are unpredictable, but Fandorin wins the final victory, but at the same time he fails, loses friends and relatives. -

7 - poverty of expressive means, limited vocabulary (a criterion not only for translated texts); Many researchers note the postmodern essence of Akunin's texts, his ironic and refined play with classical literature. The language of Akunin's works deserves a separate discussion. Beauty, subtle irony, allusions, quotes - all this is an integral part of Akunin's texts.-

8-In mass literature, as a rule, one can find essays on social customs, a picture of the life of the city. No, these books contain unrecognizable situations and settings. -

We got three matches with popular literature, out of eight.

Criteria for Elite Literature

1- it is more “long-playing” (remains “in the top” longer) The book about Erast Fandorin is very long-playing and many are still in the top of the most read and sold books in Russia- +

2- it can carry a full-fledged ideological charge-Perhaps, in the detective genre, you should not look for a serious ideological component. However, it is possible to identify the ideological component characteristic of Japanese culture - this idea of ​​life as a way. In addition, in the works one can find the characters’ reasoning on philosophical topics: about life and death, about the fate of a person, about the possibility of influencing fate, etc. Do not forget about the code of conduct of the “noble husband”, with which Fandorin compares his actions, thereby raising the problem of justice, conscience, morality and law in their interaction. -,+

Conclusion

The main way of separating fiction from mere popular literature is the test of time. Fiction continues to be reprinted after many years, while popular literature is clearly "tied" to its era. All other criteria do not allow a clear line to be drawn. - Well, we will not be able to find out now. But I hope that these books will be of interest to future generations.

We buy more books than read, and read more than understand. Because we don't have, we don't have a hundred thousand readers of Proust! But there are five million who, for three, will willingly put him on the shelf, and themselves a step higher in the table of ranks: education is still prestigious in our country. It's so simple: after all, serious books are not absolutely serious, in and of themselves, but in relation to most other, less serious ones, and are perceived by a small part of readers who are more inclined and capable of this than the majority. It's elementary, right, Watson?

M. Weller
The idea of ​​realizing a work of fiction in aesthetic communication between the author and the reader in the twentieth century is expressed by representatives of various philosophical and literary trends - from J. Dewey to W. Eco, from V.N. Voloshinov to R. Ingarden, from Yu.M. Lotman to V. Izer, from I.A. Ilyin to M. Riffater. An artistic text becomes not just a material object, but an object of art, only if it is produced, created, and perceived, read, that is, in the process of "artistic experience", therefore, it contains addressing, dialogue: "Every stroke implying his second self will help to mold the reader into the kind of person suited to appreciate such a character and the book he is writing" .

In the Russian tradition - the understanding of aesthetic communication as "a special form of relationship between the creator and contemplators, enshrined in a work of art" [Voloshinov 1996; 64 - 65]: “A work of art, taken outside this communication and independently of it, is simply a physical thing or a linguistic exercise - it becomes artistic only as a result of the interaction of the creator and the contemplator as an essential moment in the event of this interaction. Everything in the material of a work of art that cannot be involved in the communication of the creator and the contemplator, that cannot become a “medium”, the medium of this communication, cannot acquire artistic significance either. “The form of poetic utterance” is interpreted and studied “as a form of this special aesthetic communication carried out on the material of the word” [Voloshinov 1996; 65 - 66].

I.A. Ilyin emphasizes the special significance of the integrity of a work of art, formed by the subordination of verbal matter to an image and an aesthetic object, for the success of its “implementation”, “in-attention” (“inside imania”) by the reader. The main thing is to arouse the trust of attention, “so that the reader feels that he does not receive anything superfluous, that everything that comes to him from the author is important, artistically justified and necessary; what needs to be heard and obeyed; and that this artistic "obedience" is always rewarded" [Ilyin 1996; 174]. A non-fiction work in which the author's "intention has faded away" is "an empty game of possibility", "an endless draft of unnecessary text", "a chaos of embryonic images vainly looking for connections, structure and plot": "The reader's eye fell asleep from boredom and disgust!" [ibid; 207].

Recognizing the active role of the reader, E.I. Dibrova builds two “subjective-objective lines”:author - text - reader and reader - text - author,reflecting two communicative-cognitive approaches to a literary text: “Actualization of the reader…corresponds to the reality of the existence of a text in a society where its “consumption” many times exceeds “execution” and where people work on understanding and deciphering the text” [Dibrova 1998; 253].

However, there are also reasonable calls for caution in delegating "text-forming" powers to the reader. The participation of the reader's mode in the "implementation" of the text does not relieve the author of responsibility for the design, production of this text according to the rules of the genre. As R. Champigny wittily notes, if (which often happens in the “new novel”) it is left to the reader to collect the text and the degree of reader activity or freedom becomes a measure of artistry, then the best text is a dictionary (“the best texts must be dictionaries”) 1 .

But who is this reader, rethinking, "realizing", "collecting" the text? And what is the text that comes at the disposal of the modern reader under the obligatory "bar"fiction?

It is rather difficult to answer the second question from a linguistic point of view, primarily due to the absence in modern linguistics of a coherent typology of texts based on linguistic criteria. The linguistic “operational” features 2 by which literary texts are distinguished are not defined, respectively, although every philologist, being a qualified reader, has an intuitive understanding artistry in the typological sense and opinion about artistry in a qualitatively evaluative sense. Moreover, M. Titzman singles out the ability to be artistic as one of the main features that distinguish a text from a sentence.

The linguistic specificity of a literary text is due to its belonging both to the field of language and to the field of art. Therefore, attempts to characterize this specificity are made in three directions. Some scientists consider the features of fiction as one of the arts(the specifics of the material, spatio-temporal organization, way of perception, thematic possibilities, etc. are noted). Others explore the patterns of construction of artistic texts, distinguishing them from non-fiction (the comparison is carried out precisely at the level of textual categories, the principles of organizing a speech work, in particular, this includes works in the field of narratology and storytelling techniques). Still others focus on finding differences " language poetry” (meaning, as a rule, poetry as fiction in general) from the language of the people, the language of science, etc. (on the difference between the study literary texts and poetic language see [Vinogradov 1997]). The matter is complicated by the fact that research thought often “gets bogged down” in the terminological subtleties of distinguishing between the “language of a literary work”, “the artistic function of language”, “artistic language”, “poetic language”, “language of fiction”, “text of a literary work”, “ work of art”, etc. In terms of establishing generally accepted (or at least accepted by the overwhelming majority of specialists) definitions, philology has not advanced much since 1945, when G.O. Vinokur wrote that “all these terms do not have a completely clear, established content in current use, which very often remains unknown, whether they mean the same thing or they mean different content, in a word, that they are clearly insufficiently defined. as to which thing(or what items) scientific research they are called upon to designate” [Vinokur 1997; 178] 3 .

It can be assumed that the boundaries of fiction and the content of this concept are formed in each historical era in the interaction of subjective (individual) and objective (social factors): at the intersection of intentions, intentions of authors; the perception of readers and specialists - in some eras more conservative, in others - open to innovation; existing in the minds of society genre patterns, standards, against which the structural and content features of a particular text are analyzed.

An important distinction that makes sense to make when speaking about the realization of a work of art of the word in the mind of the perceiving subject is the distinction between readers according to their level of qualification. The qualification of the reader includes not only a greater or lesser degree of familiarity of the reader with the language (code) in which / in which the text is written, the principles of constructing this type of texts in a given culture, the relationship between different types of texts in it, and more particular “qualifying” knowledge and skills - preliminary acquaintance with the texts of this author, philological education, etc. It also includes degree of awareness all of the above, the ability to reflect on linguistic and literary facts. A professional philologist who does not confine himself to his highly specialized field is potentially such a qualified reader. Perceiving artistic effects, all the aesthetic information contained in the work of about wah, such a reader should be able to detect expressive tricks, with the help of which one or another effect is achieved, to objectify one's subjective impression in the word, preserving its immediacy to the maximum, destroying the subtle aesthetic matter as little as possible. He keeps in his head a rich set of pre-texts, genre matrices, language models, compositional and linguistic structures, and against their background the literary text is revealed in all its formal content richness.

For the skilled reader, the boundaries of a corpus of texts of fiction and the concept of artistry (in the typological sense) determined

a) the conventional factor first of all, the genre "label" and the sphere of functioning ("location") of texts;

b) fictional character these texts;

c) the fact that these texts, as a rule, have specific language features, perceived against the background of the genre affiliation and the fictional nature of the text.

These features are interrelated: the author's or publisher's definition of the text as a "novel", "story", "essay", "lyric poem". "advertising text", etc. determines the language means used to create it and the way they are “read”; the linguistic means of a literary text are aimed at building a fictional world, and not at a direct reference to the real situation of reality. However, in a particular literary work, these features may manifest themselves to varying degrees. Only the first of them is sufficient in itself for the text to function as a literary and artistic one. This does not prevent, but facilitates the identification in the course of linguistic analysis of certain features that seem to us specific to a literary text in general, a prosaic plot text (for example, the priority of the reproductive register and the presence of a “developing” modus), lyrical poetry (for example, the functional ambivalence of predicates), transitional genres (for details, see [Sidorova 2000]). However, at the level of perception, it is not linguistic data that determines the genre distinction, but genre conventions suggest one way or another of interpreting linguistic data.

The conventional component of the definition of fiction lies in attributing to certain types of texts in a particular culture in a particular era the properties of "artistry" (not evaluative, but typological), which sets the way of creating, transmitting and perceiving the corresponding verbal works. “Labeling”, as a rule, of a genre, is carried out either by the author, who thereby assumes certain obligations regarding the content and form of the text, and creates appropriate expectations in the reader (the stronger and “predictive” the higher the reader’s qualifications) Beaugrande 1978, or by a recipient who, in accordance with his reading qualifications, assigns a genre definition to the text, coinciding or not coinciding with the author's intention. “The genre form of a work determines its subject organization, the image of the addressee, the nature of the “author-reader” communication, the model of temporal and spatial relations that is realized in the text” [Nikolina 1999; 259].

The conventional component is historically changeable. Thus, the genre of Travels, which was originally completely outside of fiction, gradually entered it [Chenle 1997], respectively, the texts of Travels began to be subdivided into fictional and non-fictional, fiction and non-fiction [Shokov 1989] [Dydykina 1998]. 4

The awareness by the authors and consumers of literary texts of the importance of the genre "label" is confirmed not only by textbook discussions around the definition of "Eugene Onegin" as novel in verse and "Dead Souls" poems, but also by the desire of modern “destroyers” and inventors of genres (despite the sometimes proclaimed rejection of the term “genre” in connection with the desire to “de-program readers, freeing the act of writing from conventions of any kind” [Davydova 1997]) to explicate the type of text in the subtitle and even explain in a footnote, especially if the title itself already contains a genre definition: A. Slapovsky's novel "The Questionnaire" is defined by the author as Cryptography in clear text; "Alien letters" by A. Morozov - how Etopea(in a footnote - believable speeches of a fictitious person); Y.Maletsky's "Spray" - how An attempt at discourse; "Khazar Dictionary" by M. Pavich - how Roman-lexicon in 100,000 words. Women's version; finally, the work of V. Aksenov "The Search for a Genre" is subtitled Searching for a genre etc.

In addition to the genre label, the conventional factor includes the "location" of the text. For all its outward clumsiness, this word captures the essence of the matter more accurately than “sphere of functioning”: the location of the text is the place where the reader finds, discovers the text. The text is perceived as belonging or not to fiction, depending on, for example, whether it is “physically” in a newspaper or a thick literary and art magazine, in the latter case, depending on the rubric. If a book called "Khazar Dictionary" is found on a library shelf under the separator "Serbian Literature", it functions (its text is readable) as a literary one, in contrast to books with the same name placed in the "Dictionaries" section.

Along with the vagueness of genre boundaries, there is an ambiguity in the delimitation of mass and "big" or elite literature. Obviously, these two spheres of verbal creativity differ mainly not in terms of the type and number of consumers, potential or real recipients, but in terms of some more significant, internal features.

A qualified reader reads not only great, or elite, literature. He is equally a consumer of old and relatively modern classics, modernist or postmodernist exercises, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, mass literary production 5 . Only for a part of the literary works that fall into his field of vision does the qualified reader form a “target group”. He “shares” the rest of the texts with the mass reader, whom they, in fact, are aimed at. At the same time, if the general reader, with a few exceptions, “consumes” mass literature of his own free will, more and more resisting the program set of classics offered by educational institutions, then the qualified reader acts as a conscious consumer of elite fiction. Moreover, the matter is not in the accessibility of texts and not in their literary quality, and not even simply in the greater or lesser complexity of the language means used - syntactic constructions, vocabulary, visual techniques. Great literature has its own linguistic and literary markers of elitism, that is, destined for qualified perception - genre and structural-compositional.

From the point of view of a qualified reader, the following signs of elitism / mass character in modern literature can be distinguished.

1. 
   Modern elite literature is characterized by a "genre game" - genre invention, disguise, hybridization of genres, active use of formats and linguistic appearance of non-fiction texts, while a work of mass literature is labeled as fiction and strives to best meet its heat characteristics. In narrative genres, this is primarily reflected in the plot plan and the language means of its construction. If a story or novel claims to be elitism, then the weakening of the storyline, the lyricalization of the text (through modal, temporal, subjective uncertainty - see [Sidorova 2000]), the shift in space-time plans and points of view, which makes it difficult to build an "objective" fictional world, are natural. Artworks mass narrative prose fully correspond to the classical formula - "the hero of the epic - the incident." Their authors rarely use the means of problematization of event 6 and the game of subjective perspective, which are typical for the great literature of the 20th century. It is not allowed to blur the storyline by means of lyricism (replacing the proper names of characters with pronouns, the active use of imperfect predicates, which is so typical for the prose of Chekhov and Pasternak), or slowing down the plot dynamics as a result of an increase in the proportion of descriptive ones (portrait, landscape, interior, etc.). ) composite blocks.

The beginning of I. Khmelevskaya's story "What the dead man said" (the first six pages) demonstrates the incompatibility of the mass genre with a "serious" shift in the subjective perspective:

Alicia called me every day at work at lunchtime. It was so convenient for both of us. But on that Monday, she had some business in the city ... so she couldn’t call and called me only on Tuesday.

Franz replied that I was not. She asked when I would be.

Concerned Alicia called me at home. No one answered the phone, but that didn't mean anything. I could go anywhere, and the housekeeper was not at home. Therefore, Alicia called again late in the evening and found out from the housekeeper that I was not there, the housekeeper had not seen me since Sunday, my room was a normal mess.

The next day, already seriously worried, Alicia was on the phone in the morning. I was nowhere. I did not return home for the night. Nobody knew anything about me.

So I disappeared like a stone thrown into water. My traces are lost.

I myself, of course, knew perfectly well where I was and what was happening to me, only I had no way to tell about myself. This is what happened to me...

The complication of the image of the speaker creates a completely different effect in Khmelevskaya's ironic detective story than in "serious" literature.

1. 
   Mass and elite literature is characterized not just by a certain "objectively" different level of complexity of linguistic means - elite Literature relies more on the co-creation of the reader and his readiness to deceive expectations when perceiving the linguistic appearance of the work, in particular, he allows himself to be "lumpy", weakened plot, and the absence of punctuation marks.

I am here now alone, in safe hiding. Rain behind the wall, behind the wall someone walking in the rain, bowing his head, shielding his eyes with his palm and yet looking straight ahead, looking at wet asphalt, - several meters wet asphalt; behind the wall - cold, in the black bare branches the wind whistles; the wind whistles in the foliage, sways heavy branches, swaying and swaying, casting shadows on the white lime of the walls ... Behind the wall is the sun, No no shady tree, no bush, people walk, scorched by the sun, shielding their eyes with their palms and yet looking straight ahead - looking at dusty asphalt, - several meters dusty asphalt, on which the wind draws parallels, forks, spirals.

Obviously, only a qualified reader is ready (in both senses of the word - wishes and prepared) make your way through the maze. "Anti-romancers" are doomed to elitism. They are intended more for exploratory than for hedonistic reading, rather for scrupulous, “slowed down” analytical activity of the perceiving consciousness, rather than for linear, dynamic tracking of plot twists and turns and synthesizing the figurative system of the work. With their weakened eventfulness and other deviations from genre conventions, “anti-romances” seem to “beg” for deconstruction: intellectual pleasure from it can replace aesthetic pleasure from direct perception of the text.

3. The reader's consciousness recognizes the priority of the structures of the artistic world, including those created or imposed by the language, over the structures of the real world in elite literature and requires the priority of real world structures in literature mass. It is in elitist literature that the special character of language as the material of art emerges most clearly: language “is deprived of a support in the form of a “situation” and is forced to work at full capacity. The artistic text itself generates denotations, and the choice of words also determines how the denotations will be modeled” [Revzina 1981; 126]. At the same time, “all linguistic acts are accompanied by the expectation of meaningfulness” [Izer 1997; 36]. Accordingly, the structure of the fictional world is formed - the result of the interaction of the structure of the real world, language, the consciousness of the author and, at the stage of perception, the reader. Entering the area of ​​interaction between these structures, we enter into a “mirror room”, where each wall reflects other walls and is itself reflected in them. Our idea of ​​the structure of the real world is the result of the work of consciousness, which (both as an ideal “function” and its material substratum) is formed under the influence of this real world; the system of language, in turn, forms our idea of ​​the world and structures consciousness, and at the same time is influenced by the properties and relations of material reality and pre-linguistic consciousness 7 .

Occupying one of the central places in the post-Einstein consciousness of the 20th century, the idea of ​​possible worlds, the idea of ​​“the relativity of the real,” strengthened the writer’s right to create his own artistic universe from the building material of language, and in this case, the “new form of the world” is, as it were, not told, but also demonstrated. the structure, its elements and their relations are formed by the structure of the language, its elements and their relations. A universe of linguistic connections, relations (l'universo dei rapporti linguistici) arises. W. Eco, speaking about the development of new narrative structures that deform logical structures, in particular in J. Joyce's "Finnegan's Awakening", cites the characteristic given to this work by W. Troy - "logos corresponding to the Einsteinian vision of the Universe", and interprets it as follows the novelty of this “logos” world and its creator’s approach to it: Joyce “warns” the reader that the form of the Universe has changed, that millennial criteria, consecrated by all culture, no longer apply in this world, but he himself cannot yet understand the new form of the Universe . A modern author like Joyce creates a "differently divine, universal and incomprehensible" world, "an aimless whirlpool." However, “this world was created in the human dimension by means of language, and not in the course of incomprehensible cosmic events, and in this way we can comprehend it and resist it” [ibid.].

1. 
   Different attitudes towards the creative possibilities of language in elite and mass literature give rise to different linguistic norms. AT elite In literature, a deviation from the general language norm tends to be assessed as an individual authorial, artistic device, in the mass literature - as a stylistic mistake, linguistic negligence. The principle "What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull" finds its full embodiment here. "Good writers are those who make the language efficient," wrote Ezra Pound. This “efficiency” consists in the ability of a great artist to supplement the general language system with his own expressive paradigm of language means. In the "White Guard" by M. Bulgakov, the use of perceptual (color and light) predicates with a personal subject, which is outside the general language norm ( Father Alexander, stumbling from sadness and embarrassment, shone and sparkled near the golden lights.), the connection of perceptual and actional predicates with a coordinating union and (From the boulevard straight along Vladimirskaya street a crowd was blackening and crawling) among other methods serves to create a perceptually rich, tangible picture of the world, in which the interpretive component is minimized, and the sensory plan is maximally enriched. Such a model of the world, built on “bare perception”, emphasized visual, sound, tactile sensibility, heightened sensory perception, is characteristic of the “style of the era” [Texts 1999]. Each linguistic “unusualness” in great literature is included in the system of visual means, serves as a small “brick” for building a fictional world. In mass literature, where the highest correspondence of the fictional world to the real one and the precise fulfillment of narrative tasks are valued, language liberties and embellishments are not justified by either a fictional or conventional factor, therefore they are interpreted as errors and negligence.
2. 
   Finally, elite literature is oriented towards a reader with a "literary memory" - mass Literature presupposes a short memory in the reader, counts on the fact that we will not recognize a common plot behind a new adaptation, we will not pay attention to language carelessness and plot inconsistencies, we will not notice the uniformity of means of expression. A qualified reader, even sympathetically disposed towards Tatyana Polyakova, will recognize familiar clichés already in her second or third story. He laughed, she guffawed and under. This “empty” recognition does not enrich the understanding of the meaning of the text, nor the perception of its form. Quite another matter is elitist literature, in which the depth of penetration into works is often determined by the level of knowledge of pretexts and the reader's ability to “vertically” retain the most perceived text in the mind. For elitist literature, it is necessary to treat a literary text as not only a linear sequence of meanings and words and sentences that carry them, but as a multidimensional formation. A qualified reader should be able to read in a work of plot prose not only a dictum plan (the sequence of events and the background surrounding them), but also a modus plan - a system of developing points of view interacting in the text of the minds of the author and characters. Here is an example of such modus reading, which the author expects from the reader. At the beginning and in the epilogue of I.Vo's novel "The Decline and Destruction", similar situations of perception are modeled - the characters sitting in the room hear sounds from outside, indicating a fun pastime of "members of the Bollinger Club" - and the predicates of sentences that report sound perception are repeated:

It was the third year of Paul's quiet life in Scone... Stubbs finished his cocoa, knocked out his pipe and stood up. "I'm going to my lair," he said. You're lucky you live at the college. The report on the plebiscite in Poland was curious. “Yes, very much,” Paul agreed.With streets came cackle and ringing glass . (Outside there was a confused roaring and breaking of glass ) .

What is important, however, is not the repetition of the event observed by the characters, but the change of the observer. At the beginning of the novel, “passing” characters follow the events from a safe place, and the main character Paul Pennyfeather appears later, in a “dangerous” locus and becomes a victim of raging aristocrats, as a result of which he has to leave Oxford and his life changes dramatically. The return to Oxford becomes possible only after the hero's imaginary death and his reconciliation with the "decline and destruction" of the surrounding world. At the end of the novel, Paul Pennyfeather is in a safe space, now he is an external observer, the subject of perception of the “cackle and clinking of glass” coming from the street where his friend goes. "Placing" practically the same reproductive sentence in the zones of perception of different subjects helps to place an important emphasis in the development of the novel's event line.

In the increased intertextuality of postmodern literature, there is also a disregard for the reader's consciousness: for the author, it is indifferent whether the pretext is known to the reader and whether the reader is able to interpret the intertextual element as an "inclusion" of another text - and at the same time, an appeal to this consciousness. For the recipient, whose qualifications make it possible to identify intertextual "crossings", the unity of the text is much more problematic than for the "naive" reader. The former, unlike the latter, is haunted by the question: are all references to the pretext(s) "caught" - without being sure of this, he cannot form an understanding of the text as a unity. Moreover, the feeling of the artistic superiority of the pretext “rips off” the intertextual elements from the secondary text and places them in the semantic context of the source, thereby destroying the unity of the posttext. Finally, one element of the work may have two pretexts. So, in Y. Skorodumova’s poem filled with, starting from the first line, with reminiscences from Brodsky The creak of the foot, like the whining of a dog groaning about the mat... from the book "Pulp Fiction" (M., 1993) line Fasting sleep breeds harpies"Refers" at the same time to Brodsky's "Speech on Spilled Milk" and to Goya's famous engraving "The Sleep of Reason Gives Birth to Monsters." Along with the multiplicity of references and the multiplicity of interpretations of a lyric poem, there arises not only the non-equality of the text to itself in the perception of different readers (this is the unquestionable right of the author), but also the “encroachment” of the text on the unity, the integrity of the consciousness of a separate, individual reader (the authority of the author this is debatable).

So, we see that the opposition “elitist / mass literature” existing in the mind of a qualified reader is characterized by a number of linguistic features inherent in each of these “literatures”. However, the presence of these features in specific works forms a trend, but not a law. The recent emergence of authors writing "elitist" works that are becoming "mass" (V. Pelevin, V. Tuchkov, B. Akunin, partly M. Weller) - what is it: a violation of the pattern or a new pattern?