Features of the narrative structure of the novel of the postmodern era on the example of Barry Unsworth's novel "Moralite"

Abstract

The author examines the features of the narrative structure of the novel of English postmodernism "Morality Play" (Unsworth "Morality Play"). The purpose of this article is to identify the features of the construction of the novel of postmodernism. Postmodern writers tend to transform genres of high literature, making them accessible to mass reading. Moralite is a special kind of dramatic performance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance. A detective novel is a phenomenon of mass literature. The detective genre is based on three main elements that form the plot: crime, investigation and solution. In the article, these three elements are considered on the example of the novel "Moralite". Despite the fact that the plot-forming element is a detective component, the author does not fulfill all the genre strategies of the detective. In the presented work, the detective influence of the construction of a postmodern novel will be considered, in which readers are involved in the active process of reconstructing the incident, and the main character finds a solution to all the mysteries and riddles. The relevance of the work is due to the lack of full–fledged Russian-language research on the designated topic - dissertations, collections of articles, monographs. In the novel moralita, the identity of the murderer is not important, the victims are not important. The author is interested in the effect produced by the "performance" played out on the stage. Barry Unsworth demonstrates his vision of creating a new Medieval genre, he shows how this transition to everyday themes took place. One person can change the usual way of life by taking a risk and leading. Wandering comedians, who are the main characters, appear to readers as naive amateur detectives. They are passionate about the process and improve their "Thomas Wells Game", but not for the sake of punishing and exposing the killer. In the process of research, it can be concluded that two main genre layers can be distinguished in the novel – detective and historical. In addition to these genres of features, it can be argued that this is a novel about the genre.