COMIC COMPARISONS IN THE EPIC NOVEL (“A COMMON STORY” BY IVAN GONCHAROV)

Abstract

The article deals with Ivan Goncharov’s understanding of humour as a constituent part of an artistic work. The author of the article focuses on the intellectual nature of humour as stated by the writer himself as well as on the humour as a part of his epic gift. Analysing “A Common Story”, the first novel from the writer’s epic trilogy, the author of the article claims that its epic potential is expressed in such stylistic devices as comparison and contrast, typical to Ivan Goncharov’s style. The writer’s humour shows his ability to stay distant from the object of depiction, openness to the world, freedom in dealing with time and space, skill in regarding different layers of the world culture. The article reveals the way the comic comparisons and contrasts help Ivan Goncharov to express his understanding of the pace of historical time from ‘dream’ to ‘awakening’, culturological, moral and philosophic beliefs. The article pinpoints the wideness and depth of characteristics using comic devices for portraying the personal culture of the nobility of European-educated and uneducated layer, folkish culture. These remarks allow to make conclusions about sociological views of the author and the manner of approximation of nobility and folk typical to Ivan Goncharov and based on his assumption that uneducated, provincial nobility and the folk are close due to the involvement into the same national culture.