Transformations of the travelogue genre in the essays by A. Ulanov

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to outline the approaches to the comprehension of the travelogue genre dynamics by exploring the modification ways of some conventional features in the latest samples of the genre. So, the lack of analytical procedures in this field of literary theory is filled. Structural-analytical, hermeneutical methods, and the method of motivic analysis were used. A. Ulanovs essays as an empirical material represent a trend towards aesthetic and intellectual search in the modern literature. The number and dispersion of loci described in the essays, as well as the similarity of style and theme, create the effect of a wide coverage of the space. The realias that the traveller sees and describes in other cities, countries and continents is not perceived as the alien, since the author has prior knowledge about it and ponders deeply and non-trivially on what he sees, presenting it in original forms. Reflection generated by the authors experience of exploring space does not dominate over a close look at the world and the Other. The subjectivity of multifaceted observations and reasoning is built up due to particular aesthetic fullness. An important role in this regard is played by the images of stone and water, which lead to the theme of time and memory, perceived as a touch to the past. The rejection of the de-individualized practice of visiting attractions and the tourist/traveller dichotomy are clearly visible. There is a postmodern irony towards historical reconstruction, the possibility of touching the past is developed through subjective peering and reflection.