Abstract
The article examines the narrative strategies of modern prose on the example of the novel by E. Vodolazkin «Laurus». Particular attention is paid to the genre of the work, defined by the author himself as a «non-historical novel».
The novel «Laurus» is not just a historical work, it is a life novel, the main character of which is embodied in saints, holy fools, elders and lives in the era of the Middle Ages, saturated with miracles and faith in God. The historical era in the novel is presented very accurately and devoid of conjectures and fantasies, while the author deliberately avoids the "literature of the device" and skillfully intertwines Old Slavonic, Old Russian and modern Russian in the text, facilitating the reader's task without violating the organic nature of the text. The narrative is structured within the framework of the historical and non-historical principles, which is a distinctive feature of the work. The main character: Arseny, Ustin, Laurus, embodies the idea of consistency in his actions, the idea of love for a woman, loved ones, for God, and he does not completely abandon this love. The main law according to which the novel is built is the law of similarity. Laurus consists of scenes that do not repeat, but are similar to each other. In the novel, genres are intertwined, actualized, updated and presented by the author in new forms, the study and identification of which is the main task of the presented article.
Key words
Novel, «Laurus», contemporary prose, genre, narrative strategies.