Contamination of Genre Forms in the Novel "Purity" by J. Franzen

Abstract

The analysis of literary works of the XXI century shows that the genesis of modern novel is largely grounded by the process of genre modification. The modern novel is especially prone to contamination of genres: authors either embed in the work separate parts that preserve their own genre characteristics, or mix elements of different genres throughout the whole writing, preserving or not preserving the semantic core of a particular genre. Genre mixing is often combined with a blend of narrative techniques, narrative modes, and correlates with the thematic palette of the work. The novel Purity by the American writer J. Franzen is a vivid example of such a mixture. The text-forming genres for this work are the family novel and the romance novel. Genre mixing can be traced both throughout the text and within each chapter. In addition, the author uses different genre forms to portray the characters. The narrative perspective and focalization are also varying throughout the novel: the story is told either on behalf of the author or on behalf of the characters, sometimes the same events are presented by different characters. The fusion of genres and diversity of themes lead to a change in the author’s fictional modes, which include a serious, ironic, pompous and satiric attitude to the events described. The novel «Purity» demonstrates one of the main trends of contemporary literature – code mixing at different text levels.