Systemic problems of fiction genre (experience in studying small and medium epic forms)

In present globalized world of scientific thinking in literary criticism the problem of generating a system of scientific criteria to determine the genre of fiction is still relevant. Solution to this problem is to develop a methodology and methods of a comprehensive study of the four-level system of content and form of the fiction whole. The origins of this approach are explained in scientific pursuits of the Kazan core group headed by Professor Nigmatullina, the Commission for the comprehensive study of belles-letters art and works of the Russian Academy of Sciences. These surveys developed in the writings of Kulumbetova (the concept of the four-level system of content and form of the work of fiction of epic, poetry, drama; methodology and techniques of its integrated study) formed the basis of our research. The plan of this article is to present a system of criteria for determining genre features of an epic work. To achieve the goal it is necessary to consider the functions of present chronotope (entanglements in the traditional sense) in the disclosure of the genre form of the work and isomorphic function of the active site (climaxs in the traditional sense) and semantic parts of the text in the disclosure features of genre form, genre and genre type of a work. The results show that the genre form of an epic work as an art system is revealed on three levels of the work and is associated with the upper limit of present chronotope. It is due to the amount of raised problems and their climaxs (the fourth level) and emerges in an isomorphic way in the volume of climaxs and semantic units (paragraphs and sentences). The number of situations in them and the activity of the main and secondary characters (the third and fourth levels) also influence the genre form. Genre as an art system communicates with the third and fourth levels of the work: with the analysis of the active site and semantic parts of the text (microfocuses, focuses and microactive sites). Genre type is in the isomorphic way denoted by the prevailing levels in the name and types of initial syntagmas of the active site and semantic parts of the text. In the future, we see the further development of the system of criteria for the genre specificity of the novel.