Features of figuralism in the portics of V. Kaverin's novel “Two captains”

Annotation

The purpose of the article is to identify the key features of figuralism in the novel by V. Kaverin. Kaverin’s novel “Two Captains”. The following research methods were used: comparative-historical, typological, method of holistic analysis of the artwork. For the first time it was established that V. Kaverin's socialist realist novel “Two Captains” should be referred to a kind of novel of education — “the novel of figure”. Realising the genre concept of Bildungsroman in the literature of socialist realism, the novel acquires the features of figuralism, which are reflected at the level of the development of the protagonist's image and the transformation of his life path atypical for the novel of education. Firstly, the fate of the protagonist is predictable and programmed by the author. Secondly, the function of the character is concluded in the fulfilment of a certain purpose. Thirdly, the mythologism of the figure refers to the typification of the image, a priori excluding its individualisation. Fourthly, the path of the protagonist is typical, built not only on the archetype of the magic fairy tale, but also conditioned by the ideology of the socialist realism era. Fifthly, secondary characters occupy a configurative position in the novel in relation to the protagonist, in contrast to the novel of education, in which secondary characters participate in the process of educating the protagonist. Finally, the protagonist's metamorphosis occurs not in personal terms, but in ideological terms - the stages of his maturation reflect the stages of transformation of the principles of which the character is the bearer.

Keywords

В. Kaverin, Russian prose, novel of education, socialist realism, figuralism, “novel of figure”.

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