CROSS-CULTURAL PECULIARITIES OF PROVENCE DAILY ROUTINE IN THE NOVEL"A YEAR IN PROVENCE" BY PETER MAYLE

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of cross-cultural analysis of the features of the Provence daily routine on the material of the novel "A Year in Provence" by P. Mayle. In modern literary discourse there is no clear and unambiguous definition of the concept of everyday life, so this problem is relevant to modern literary criticism. The peculiarities of perception of foreign everyday life are not only the sphere of intercultural communication, but also an interesting object of literary studies. The national comparative literature studies have shown the growing interest to the problem of investigating the features of literary interpretation of mentality and everyday practices in works of foreign literature, involving the methodology of cross-cultural analysis only in the last decade. In his novel "A Year in Provence", P. Mayle creates a unique combination of a travel novel and a description of the Provence life through the interpretation of an emigrant who came there from England. The peculiarities of the daily routine of the locals contrast sharply with the cultures of the tourists who visit it. The cultural differences that are revealed in the everyday things of the characters vividly demonstrate specific features of their mentality and their national worldview. An interesting depiction and constant commentary on traditional daily activities, food preferences, attitudes to time, work and people in comparison with the customs of other cultures allows the reader to form an unbiased attitude to the lifestyle of not only the French but also the English, Germans, Swiss and other nation representatives. The author draws attention to the strengths and weaknesses of the life of the Provence people. He also remains objective in presenting comparative characteristics of different spheres of life of the French and other cultures.