The functioning of literary allusions and reminiscences in the novel "The Universal Storm" by Sleptsova-Kuorsunnakh

Abstract

The  article  analyses  the  artistic  specificity  in  the  novel  "The  Universal  Storm" by  Elena  Sleptsova-Kuorsunnakh,  dedicated  to  the  tragic  fate  of  the  Sakha  intelligentsia.  By  its genre nature, this is a synthetic work that combines the features of an epic novel with a document-based family  chronicle.  Although  the  narrative  in  the  novel  is  built  around  the  Orosin  clan,  its  distinctive feature is the depiction of a complex polyphony of individual destinies and characters that do not merge into a single mass, but give rise to real diversity. The article features the images of such historical figures as Vasily Nikiforov, Anepodist Sofronov, Platon Oyunsky, and Vera Davydova. The depiction of the real vicissitudes  of  their  private  lives  not  only  confirms  the  novelistic  character  of  the  Kuorsunnakh's  work, but  also  testifies  to  the  presence  of  the  features  of  psychological  "genre  generalization".  In  this  regard, as  shown  in  the  article,  the  use  of  literary  allusions  and  reminiscences  by  the  author  among  the  ways of mastering the artistic material seems to be successful.