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Abstract

Roland Barthes, a French literary theorist and culturologist of the 20th century, proposed the motif-based diary theory. Taking into consideration its main ideas on the subgenres, the following article discusses Peter Oznobishyn’s daily notes in terms of its dominant themes. The researcher highlights the recurrent narrative elements that reflect both European and Russian principles of the memoirs study. The key topics of the manuscript are the weather, civil service, relatives and friends, correspondence and journeys, holidays and household routine, P. N. Oznobishyn’s relationships with his wife and children, etc. P. N. Oznobishyn’s daybooks are the unique, previously unstudied written manuscript of great historic and literary importance. They present general and specific characteristics of Russian diary-centered literature.

Key words

R. Barthes, P. Oznobishyn, the memoirs study of the beginning of 19th century, the diary genre, motifs