Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
1
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
The article explores the meaning of the genre of literature ‘family saga’ in modern American literary criticism. The
general meaning of ‘Family saga’ gives us a definition that this genre chronicles represent the way of life and traditions
of a family or several related or interconnected families over some time. The article aims to present traditions that are
emerging, evolving, and how they are handed on over time. ‘Family saga’ gives us glimpses beyond the daily struggles
of life in ways that resonate with our deepest connections to our own families. The article has an analytical and
historical approach to the study of these novels. The scientific novelty of the research work lies in the aspects forming
family values of American families who lived in the period under review are compared, as every literary family has its
secrets and stories that can be difficult and heartrending. The article examines the question posed in world literary
studies about the genre of family chronicle, the peculiarities of its principles in general, and individual families in
particular. The study reveals a peculiar form of a story about the life of a particular society.
KEYWORDS
Saga, America, literary criticism, word, definition, genre, family, events, traditions
INTRODUCTION
In English-language literary criticism, the approach to
the problem of the family chronicle genre is somewhat
different; both the terminology and the principles for
defining the specifics of the genre differ.
The family chronicle in American literary criticism is
usually called the "family saga":
“Saga – a narrative telling the adventures of a hero or
a family; originally (12th to 14th centuries) a story of the
Research Article
“FAMILY CHRONICLE” IN ENGLISH LITERARY CRITICISM
Submission Date:
May 23, 2022,
Accepted Date:
June 03, 2022,
Published Date:
June 14, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajps/Volume02Issue06-01
Nadejda Lokteva
Doctor of Philosophy in philological sciences (Ph.D.), Lecturer, Uzbekistan State University of World
Languages, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajps
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
2
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
families that settled Iceland and their descendants but
now any prose narrative that resembles such an
account” [16].
Saga (Icelandic, plural “sögur“) is a literary genre
developed in medieval Iceland that is a historical prose
story, fictional story, or legend.
The word is derived from the verb sega, “to tell”, “to
retell” (in German sagen, in English to say). The author
of the saga, often anonymous, is sagnamaðr (plural
agnomen).
The UK's Encyclopedia of Fantastic Literature correctly
notes that the English word "saga" comes from
Icelandic:
“The word saga meaning saying comes from the
Islandic language and refers to Old Norse and Islandic
family stories” [14].
THE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS
In modern American literary criticism, the following
definition of the family chronicle is given: “the family
saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives
and doings of a family or several related or
interconnected families over some time. In novels (or
sometimes sequences of novels) with serious intent,
this is often a thematic device used to portray
particular historical events, changes in society, or the
ebb and flow of fortunes from a multiple perspective.
The typical family saga follows generations of a family
through a period of history in a series of novels” [9,
p.46].
According to the American literary critic L. Vine Day:
“The family saga is defined as a genre of literature that
follows generations of a family through historical
events, changes in social circumstances, or the gain
and loss of wealth from multiple perspectives over
some time" [4, p. 73]. This definition seems to us to be
correct in principle since the specificity of the family
chronicle lies precisely in the epic coverage of several
generations of one family in a reasonably wide period.
At the same time, the family chronicle is characterized
by a fairly large number of characters belonging to
different generations. This genre is called a chronicle
precisely because it captures all the most important
events in which members of this family participate. But
on the other hand, the definition of L. Vine Day seems
to us too broad, since it allows us to include in this
series not necessarily a work of art, but historical
works, etc.
In American literary criticism, there are several
synonyms for the term “family saga” - “family saga”,
such as “epic”, “chronicle”, “legend”, “folk tale”,
“romance”, “traditional story”, “history”, “narrative”,
“adventure”, “fairy story” and “myth” [17].
The use of the word "saga" often leads to confusion. In
this case, they are identified with the concept of an
epic work. In this sense, the word "saga" is used
colloquially today to refer to a multi-volume cycle of
novels or works of an epic nature, even if they do not
rely on a literary basis like the animated film
"Deerslayer" or the cinematic "saga" Star Wars. But
the saga is also used in the literary criticism meaning
that interests us. American criticism considers the
family chronicle as a literary genre: – “A deeply moving
consideration of family relationships in historical, social
and political context” [1]. At the same time, the
emphasis is on the chronicity of the life of several
generations of one family.
According to Regis Boyer: “... a saga is a story in prose
that talks about the life and deeds and deeds of a hero
who remains in memory for many reasons, from his
birth to death, without missing either his ancestors or
subsequent generations” [10]. In general, this
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
3
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
definition, in our opinion, is correct, since the saga or
family chronicle implies a detailed description of the
life of the characters. But at the same time, it can be
attributed not only to the genre of family chronicles.
The famous American literary critic Bernard Ruhrbach
believes that the family chronicle: - “It is a work of
fiction, names, characters, places, and incidents either
are the products of the author's imagination or are
used factiously, and any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental” [11, p.178]. Indeed, the family chronicle is
most often based on fiction, but novels can also be
written on documentary material. A family chronicle,
as a work of art, can also tell about real people involved
in historical events.
American writer Kathleen H. Wheeler gives her
definition: “The family saga chronicles of related
American writer Kathleen H. Wheeler gives her
definition: “The family saga chronicles of related lives
and doings of a family or several interconnected
families. The typical novel follows the generations of a
family through a period to portray particular historical
events, changes of social circumstances, or the ebb
and flow of fortunes from multiple perspectives” [6].
Defining the genre of the family chronicle, Kathleen H.
Villiers appeals to her writings and shows why her
duology "The Shame Of Her Youth" - 1987" and
"Brought To Our Senses" - 2016" can be considered a
family chronicle. She identifies four features of her
dilogy.
Kathleen H. Villiers considers the image of 5
generations of heroes to be the first feature of this
genre: “5 generations of the family are represented”.
The second feature of her novels, according to the
writer, is the depiction of the historical conditions in
which this family exists: “The Great Depression, 1970’
divorce revolution, the Alzheimer’s epidemic in the
new century and beyond.”
The third feature is that the family story is told from
four points of view: each of the four sisters expresses
her attitude towards her parents and the events taking
place in the family.
And, finally (the fourth feature), the writer believes
that the family chronicle should cover a sufficiently
large period (in her novel, events take place over 75
years, from 1934 to 2009).
In
one
of
the
interviews,
answering
the
correspondent's
questions,
Katherine
Villiers
emphasizes:
“– My novel meets all the criteria that define a family
saga. It's nice to have that much figured out! » [6].
When asked about the genre of her works, the writer
defines them as a family chronicle: “My novel falls into
the genre of literature known as the family saga. You
might even consider my new book to be women's
fiction. There's no need to pigeonhole it though. It's
about coming to terms with a family in conflict and
caring for aging parents. Most importantly, it’s about
finding the way back home to family when they’re
needed most – when the going gets tough” [6].
Supporters of the American definition also emphasize
the history segment of the family chronicle: “The
family saga is a genre of literature which follows
generations of a family (and/or interconnected
families) through a period of history (typically
represented in a series of novels). Most of them can be
classified as "historical fiction" since actual historical
events and persons are woven throughout"[18].
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
4
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
According to the American literary critic Cynthia
Crossen, “... The favorite family sagas not only tell a
story from several points of view but also give voice to
characters from three, four, or five generations. If
aunts, uncles, –laws, and godparents stick their noses
into the plot, so much the better. Family sagas are
about genes and the odd ways they're diluted,
amplified, and perverted over the years. Sometimes it's
a mercy that great–granny never knew what happened
to her children's children"[4].
In American literary criticism, the terms "family saga"
and "family chronicle", both denoting the Russian
family chronicle, were used as synonyms until the
middle of the 20th century. However, in the second
half of the twentieth century, there was a "separation"
of these two terms - only the term "saga" began to be
used to refer to works of art, and family chronicles.
With the light hand of J. Galsworthy, the term "family
saga" was fixed and entered the English and American
literature; while the term "chronicle" began to be used
to refer to fictionalized family chronicles of statesmen
and historical figures, famous scientists, writers,
athletes, and other prominent people.
"Family Chronicle" was created and is being created
and sow the day "by order", but it was published and is
being published in limited quantities. Customers want
to restore the history of their ancestors, to acquaint a
certain number of readers with it - acquaintances, give
them to friends, guests, etc. However, for “custom
family chronicles” the term “family saga” is still
preserved, such as “The Zelmenyaners: a family saga”
(“The Zelmenyaners: a family saga”) [7], “The Saga of
the Marx family” (“The Marx family saga") [5], "Daisy
Turner's kin: an African American family saga")[2],
"Master O'Rourke's children: an Irish family saga"
("The children of Master O'Rourke: an Irish family
saga") [13], "The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family"
("The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family"). This list
can be continued indefinitely [8].
In American literary criticism, the "southern school" (a
concept that has developed in literary criticism) of
family chronicles is also distinguished. According to R.
O. Stevens, this little-studied variety of fiction is often
used by writers of the US South, and its roots go back
to the Old Testament: “A family saga is a literary form
much practiced in southern writing but little analyzed
in scholarship and criticism.
According to R. O. Stevens, "... The basic elements of
the saga are oral family stories, enlarged upon and
transformed in the novels and nonfictional chronicles"
[12, p.36]. Subsequent American literature has given
vivid examples of novels of this genre.
Among the authors who further developed the
southern family chronicle, R. O. Stevens names T. S.
Stribling and W. Faulkner, Caroline Gordon, Allen Tate,
and Andrew Lightle. Family history novels by writers
such as Katherine Ann Porter, Eudora Welty, and
Shirley Ann Grau are based on the oral tradition of
American Southern folklore that was circulated among
women
and
reflected
matriarchal-patriarchal
generational conflicts. Authors such as Margaret
Walker, Ernest Gaines, and Alex Haley, Toni Morrison
depict the struggle of African Americans for freedom
and their rights. And according to critic Robert
Stephens, "The third-generation writers, such as
Reynolds Price and Lee Smith, reached beyond history
in their sagas to find moments of mythic vision, or they
reduced family and public history to the past less
present of popular culture" [12, p.138]. The southern
family chronicle is still developing today. According to
R. O. Stevens, she makes an invaluable contribution to
the study of this living tradition, both in southern
writing and in the study of this genre in other cultures.
– “The Family Saga in the South will make an
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
5
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
inestimable contribution to understanding this vital
tradition in southern letters while pointing the way for
studying the genre in other cultures” [12, p.138].
CONCLUSION
Thus, summing up the assessments of the family
chronicle genre by Russian-language and English-
language literary criticism, one can make a final
definition. The author, who has chosen the genre of
family chronicle, is faced with the task of talking not
only about the life of one or several generations, since
it is about the family, but also about social life and the
historical fate of the nation. In family chronicles, the
general is given through the particular, which shows
that this or that family depicted in the work is an exact
reproduction of the whole society in miniature.
Therefore, the studied genre represents a peculiar
form of a story about the life of a particular society.
REFERENCES
1.
Augenbraum Harold. Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the
Homesick Restaurant //Houston Chronicle,
1982/26/10.
2.
Beck Jane C. Daisy Turner's kin: an African
American family saga. – Urbana [Illinois]:
University of Illinois Press, 2015.
3.
Cynthia Crossen. Family Sagas. The wall street
journal. – August 29, 2011.
4.
Daye L.Wayne. The Ghost Of Big Tom: A Saga
Of An American Family (Anglais) Broché. – N.Y.,
2012. – P.73.
5.
Kathleen H. Wheeler. Stories that sing.
http://www.authorkathleenhwheeler.com/
6.
Kulbak Moshe; Halkin Hillel. The Zelmenyaners:
a family saga. – New Haven: Yale University
Press, 2013;
7.
Lovell Mary S. The sisters: the saga of the
Mitford family. – N.Y.: Norton, 2002.
8.
Martin Arnold. The post-classical Icelandic
family saga. – N.Y.: Edmon Mollen Press, 2003.
– p. 46.
9.
Régis Boyer, Sagas légendaires islandaises,
Broché 2012
10.
Roorbach B. Writing Life Stories. – Ohio:
Writer’s digest books, 2008. – p. 178.
11.
Stephens Robert O. The Family Saga in the
South. – N.Y.: W. Morrow, 1993. – p. 32.
12.
Smith John Chabot. The children of Master
O'Rourke: an Irish family saga. – N.Y. : Holt,
Rinehart and Winston,1977.
13.
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by
John Clute and Peter Nicolls – London: Orbit,
1994.– p. 558.
14.
LOKTEVA, N. (2021). THE DISTINCTIVE
PECULIARITIES OF THE AMERICAN" FAMILY
CRONIC" OF XIX CENTURY. THEORETICAL &
APPLIED
SCIENCE
Учредители:
Теоретическая и прикладная наука, (9), 355-
372.
15.
Mikhailovna, L. N. (2021). FEATURES AND
STRUCTURE OF A SPECIAL TYPE OF NOVEL
PROSE OF THE GENRE" FAMILY CHRONICLE".
Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research
Journal, 9(10), 56-61.
16.
Локтева, Н. М. (2021). Роман «Женский
портрет» Г. Джеймса: к вопросу раскрытия
психологии характера.
17.
LOKTEVA, N. (2021). THE DISTINCTIVE
PECULIARITIES OF THE AMERICAN" FAMILY
CRONIC" OF XIX CENTURY. THEORETICAL &
APPLIED
SCIENCE
Учредители:
Теоретическая и прикладная наука, (9), 355-
372.
18.
Локтева, Н. М. (2015). Роман" обед в
ресторане “Тоска по дому”" Энн Тайлер и
Volume 02 Issue 06-2022
6
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
06
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
445
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.963
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
проблемы гуманизма. Вестник Московского
государственного
лингвистического
университета. Гуманитарные науки, (25
(736)), 116-122.
19.
LOKTEVA, N. ПРОБЛЕМАТИКА РОМАНА ДЖ.
АЛЬВАРЕС
«КАК
ДЕВОЧКИ
ГАРСИЯ
УТРАТИЛИ СВОЙ АКЦЕНТ».
20.
Lokteva, N. THE WOMEN’S FAMILY CRONICLE
IN AMERICAN LITERATURE OF XIX-XX
CENTURY. Chief Editor.
