Epic Novel: to the problem of liberating terms from pseudo-meanings
The article examines the concept of an epic novel – a special historical genre phenomenon that arose as a result of the successful implementation by Russian classics of the second half of the 19th century. The author discusses the pseudo-names that appeared in Soviet literary criticism due to its politicisation and ideologisation back in the 1920s –30s and she shows that the terms of epic novel and epopee novel were used at the indicated time for the sake of the Communist party tasks, but contrary to their true meanings. As noted in the article, this required a rejection of the traditions of Russian classical literature, a rejection of the genetic memory of the universal vision of the world and human inherent in the epic novel. Analytical comprehension of the polemics of literary critics of different generations made it possible to show that a number of researchers who rightly saw the problem, forgot to “rehabilitate” the above concepts and transferred the line of denial of Soviet ideology to the terms themselves. The author of the article explains the importance of using the concept of an epic novel in its true meaning, in relation to the voluminous works of Russian classical literature.