Նկարագրական պատկերները Լեվոն Բաշալյանի գեղարվեստական արձակում / Descriptive Images in Levon Bashalyan's Literary Fiction

Abstract

The realist movement, which began in the 1880s in Western Armenian literature, is characterized by its aim to depict life in its diversity. It turned to smaller forms of prose, such as novellas, short stories, chronicles, essays, and sketches. Among these, the sketch particularly stands out as a genre with distinctive descriptive and observational content. Levon Bashalyan is a keen observer. His focus ranges from the secluded buildings of Constantinople and the lifestyles of wealthy families to the passionate, dissolute nights of Paris and the silent, endless expanse of the sea. In nearly twenty short stories and novellas, along with a few travelogues and memoirs, Bashalyan skillfully portrays Armenian life at the end of the 19th century. He explores the inner world of individuals, revealing their most intense feelings and refined emotions. His use of descriptive techniques— such as landscapes, portrait-like character sketches, and symbolic imagery— serves as a means of artistic generalization. The writer succeeds in presenting the era and its people in a comprehensive and insightful manner through simple yet effective descriptions. In Bashalyan's system of imagery, repetitions, comparisons, and contrasts play a crucial role, providing significant context and depth to his work.