On the Phenomenon of the Epic Novel: A New Monograph on Russian Classical Literature

Readers are invited to review a new collective monograph on the phenomenon of the epic novel, published under the scientific editorship of a DSc in Philology V. G. Andreeva (IWL RAS) and which is the result of the work of well-known specialists in Russian classics in Russia. Besides V. G. Andreeva, the authors of the monograph are A. V. Gulin, N. L. Ermolaeva, S. K. Kazakova, Yu. V. Lebedev, V. I. Melnik, N. G. Mikhnovets. The author of the review analyzes the structure of the monograph, emphasizes the breadth of coverage of the material, as well as an attractive for the reader and at the same time promising scientific approach to the issues under study. The monograph examines in detail the most significant novels of Russian literature of the second half of the 19th century. The seemingly heterogeneous literary material is comprehended from a single methodological point of view, and the term “epic novel” is the key theoretical concept for the monograph. The review characterizes the range of problems raised in the monograph, highlights the successful and non-trivial observations of the authors of the new book.