Karel Čapek vs Agatha Christie
Karel Čapek versus Agatha Christie
The poetics of Midcult
Author(s): Dagmar MocnáSubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Comparative Study of Literature, Czech Literature, Theory of Literature, British Literature
Published by: AV ČR - Akademie věd České republiky - Ústav pro českou literaturu
Keywords: Karel Čapek; Agatha Christie; midcult; detective story; vertical thematic construction; subjectivized narration
Summary/Abstract: This essay focuses on the issue of semantic and expressive specificity that is midlevel in the vertical model of literature (known as Midcult). It explores this issue through a comparative analysis of two short stories on the same theme. This essay focuses on two particular aspects: thematic construction (one thematic line versus multiple thematic lines) and the nature of the narrative (objective versus subjectivized narrative). The essay thus sees Povídky z jedné kapsy (translated by Norma Comrada as Stories from One Pocket) as a typical product of the middle literary level, which it considers an essential part of any developed literary culture with the important function of cultivating and mediating for the reader.
Journal: Česká literatura
- Issue Year: 72/2024
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 28-52
- Page Count: 25
- Language: Czech