Dostoevsky’s Books in 20th-Century American Literature (Nathanael West, John Irving, Philip Roth)

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Author: Irina V. Lvova
Information about the author:

DSc in Philology, Professor, Department of Germanic philology and Scandinavian studies, Petrozavodsk State University, Lenin 33, 18500 Petrozavodsk, Russia.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3193-1222

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For citation:

Lvova, I.V. “Dostoevsky’s Books in 20th-Century American Literature (Nathanael West, John Irving, Philip Roth).” Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological journal, no. 1 (25), 2024, pp. 103–114. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2024-1-103-114
Received: 11 Dec. 2023
Published: 25 Mar. 2024
Issue: 2024 no. 1 (25)
Department: DOSTOEVSKY IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES
Pages: 103-114
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2024-1-103-114
EDN:

https://elibrary.ru/SOUIRI
UDK: 821
BBK: 83.3
Keywords: Fyodor Dostoevsky, reception, Nathanael West, John Irving, Philip Roth, motive, book.
Abstract: The article examines the presence of Dostoevsky’s books in the plot of the novels by Nathanael West, John Irving, and Philip Roth, in order to show how Dostoevsky was perceived by American writers and determined the specifics of the poetics and the transformation of constant motifs and images in modern American literature. It is proved that the use of Dostoevsky’s books as a stable motif introduces into these works an obligatory element of literary polemics for both the hero and the author. The main technique used by writers (parodying themes and images of Dostoevsky’s works) becomes the main way to rethink the existing tradition of perceiving the work of the Russian novelist.

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