Филологические науки/3. Теоретические и методологические проблемы исследования языка

Smagulova G.T., Kussainova I.

Buketov Karaganda State University

Some issues concerning the main genres of popular literature

The popular literature, paraliterature is said to be the set of the literary genres and forms turned to the unskilled reader perceiving work without reflection concerning his art nature and therefore having the simplified character. Emergence of the popular literature is connected with the beginning of "an era of technical reproducibility" in the 19-20th centuries when idea of work uniqueness is erased due to replication [1;24-25]. At the same time the popular literature keeps continuity in relation to earlier forms of "local literature" and partly folklore. The special mechanism of cultural functioning which is completely dictated by conditions of the market is sure to be the characteristic of popular literature: "process of mass consumption of each separate book of this kind is, as a rule, rather short, within two seasons, the inflow of new works is always great. The competition of samples according to the market laws seems to be very intense for circulation and their change being very fast" [2]. Consequently, there is evident the principle of "seriality", that is cyclization, as characteristic of the popular literature presenting the "cult" characters passing from one work into another, generating any wide circulation of publishing collections. The negative attitude to popular literature being the characteristic of academic literary criticism, has been replaced by more and more active studying of the corresponding phenomena now.

While examining the genres of popular literature one should consider some issues. The detective one (from latin detectio – disclosure) is a literary genre which deals with describing the research process of mysterious incident for the purpose of clarification of its circumstances and disclosure of a riddle. Usually the crime acts as such incident, and the detective describes his investigation and definition of guilty persons, in that case the conflict is based on the collision of justice with lawlessness which is coming to the end with a justice victory. Important attribute of the classical detective story is likely to be the completeness of facts. The key to a mystery should not be based upon the information that has not been provided for the reader during the description of investigation. By the time when investigation coming to the end the reader is certainly to have enough information for independent searching the solution. Only separate inconspicuous details can disappear without any affect for mystery disclosure. Upon completing of investigation there every riddles have to be solved, and each of questions to be answered.

Thriller being the genre of literary works directed to cause the reader’s feeling of disturbing expectation, nervousness or fear. The genre does not keep to obvious limits since the thriller elements are presented in many writings by different genres. By Ross McDonald's definition, the detective action moves backward in time, to the solution, whereas the thriller action gets moving forward to accident. To differentiate these genres is known not to be easy matter to find as one genre often contains elements of another. According to Dave Kerr, the thriller is considered to be mainly an American genre: "the spontaneity and force of influence which seldom meet in European are peculiar to the American cinema that is probing of physical and emotional limits of life, ecstasy danger, understanding of its fatal attractive force" [3;174-175]. V. Nabokov noted that though in accordance of genre laws the good has to triumph, and the smart villain has to be punished, in reader’s nature one hold the hope that "nevertheless the romantic villain remain unpunished, and the dullish good boy never gets hold of capricious little girl" [4].

Fantasy one (from greek the art of imagination) is the genre and creative method in fiction characterized by use of fantastic assumption, "extraordinary element", breaking of reality frontiers, the accepted conventions [5; 110-111].The fantasy is allocated as a special type of art creativity in the process of removal of folklore forms from practical problems of mythological reflection of reality. The primitive world perception impacts the new ideas of reality, mythical and real plans are mixed up being especially fantastic mix. According to O.Freydenberg fantasy is "the first generation of realism": emergence of "fantastic beings" (the deities combining animal and human lines, centaurs, etc.) seems to be a characteristic feature of realism interference into the myth [6]. Primary fantasy genres, utopia and fantastic travel are certain to be also the most ancient forms of pure narration, first of all in Homer's "Odyssey". The plot, images and incidents of "Odyssey" are known to be the beginning of whole literary Western European fantasy. However the collision of mimesis with the myth having an effect of fantasy is of meanwhile involuntary character. Aristophanes is said to be the first who confronts them intentionally and so the first conscious fantast.

Science fiction being a literature genre is one of fantasy kinds. The science fiction is based on fantastic assumptions in the field of science, including both exact and natural, and the humanities [7]. The science fiction describes fictional technologies and discoveries, the contacts with inhuman mind, the possible future or the alternative course of history, and also the influence of these assumptions onto human society and the personality. Action of science fiction often takes place in the future.

Phantasy (speculative fiction) is the genre of fantastic literature based on using the mythological and fantastic motives and finally formed at the beginning of the 20th century. From the middle of the century the huge impact onto modern fantasy formation has been inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien [8]. Phantasy works often remind the historical and adventure novel with action happened in the fictional world close to the real Middle Ages which heroes experience with supernatural phenomena and beings. Phantasy is often constructed on the basis of archetype plots. Unlike science fiction phantasy doesn't tend to explain from the point of science view the world of action. This world exists by hypothesis, moreover, its location concerning our reality is not specified in any way: either the parallel world or another planet, and its physical laws can differ from terrestrial. In such world there can be real existence of gods, sorcery, mythical beings (dragons, elves, gnomes, trolls), ghosts and any other fantastic natures. At the same time there is fundamental difference between fantasy miracles and their fantastic analogs due to their being the norm of described world and systemically working according to nature laws.

Bibliography:

1. Benjamin W. A work of art during an era of its technical reproducibility. – M.: Medium, 1996.

2. Goodkov L., Dubin B. Popular literature as social phenomenon. Literature and society: introduction to literature sociology. – M.: RSHU, 1998.

3. Dave Kehr. When Movies Mattered: Reviews from a Transformative Decade. University of Chicago Press, 2011.

4. Nabokov V.V. Lecture "Russian Writers, Censors and Readers". – M., 1999

5. Lotman Yu. About the principles of an art fantasy. – TSU, 2006.

6. Muravyev V. S. Fantasy: BSE. – 1969-1978.

7. Definitions of Science Fiction. From Brian W. Aldiss, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and others.

8. Nevsky B. Genres. Mythological fantasy. – World of fantasy, January, 2007. – No. 41.