Gogolʼs Parody of the Novella Genre (The Carriage)

Occupation: Leading Researcher at the A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka

Edition

Volume 80 Issue 3

Pages

5-23

Abstract

“The Carriage” is a parody of the most popular novella genre in the 1830s. It makes use of comic stylizations of the typical and customary elements of the didactic descriptive narrations about provincial or County life in Russia. It mimics familiar literary representations of provincial backwoods, mores of landlords, habits and amusements of provincials and billeted regimental officers. Plot and compositional stereotypes and speech patterns of the narrators are also parodied. However, Gogol's masterful parody grows out of a holistic comic image and has a free-standing story. The plot sets forth a simple-minded narrator, a literary amateur “lacking imagination” (somewhat resembling Pushkin's Belkin), an imitator, who constantly disrupts the logic of his own narration. Literary parody was widespread, to be sure, but Gogol undoubtedly had in mind the author of “The Tales of Belkin” and “Count Nulin”, recognizing in the latter not only a satirical take on “an insignificant event”, but also the substantiality of the “living picture”.

Keywords

Gogol, “The Carriage”, literary parody, the novella genre, the narrator, self-parodying, Pushkin

Received

27.06.2021

Publication date

27.06.2021

Number of characters

64823

Cite

GOST	Paderina E. Gogolʼs Parody of the Novella Genre (“The Carriage”) // Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka – 2021. – V. 80. – Issue 3 C. 5-23 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://izv-oifn.ru/S241377150015619-3-1 (circulation date: 26.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S241377150015619-3
MLA	Paderina, Ekaterina G "Gogolʼs Parody of the Novella Genre (“The Carriage”)." Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 80.3 (2021):5-23. DOI: 10.31857/S241377150015619-3
APA	Paderina E. (2021). Gogolʼs Parody of the Novella Genre (“The Carriage”). Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 80(3), pp.5-23 DOI: 10.31857/S241377150015619-3

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