THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF THE LITERARY GENRE IN THE WORKS OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY LITERARY SCHOLARS

Abstract

The article analyzes the evolution of views on the genre of a literary work in twentieth-century literary theory. The focus is on key theoretical concepts that have significantly influenced the modern understanding of genre as a historically variable and functionally meaningful category. The study examines the concepts of V. B. Tomashevsky, R. Wellek and A. Warren, O. M. Freidenberg, M. M. Bakhtin, as well as the works of Soviet and post-Soviet scholars, including the school of G. L. Abramovich, Yu. M. Lotman, G. N. Pospelov, and L. V. Chernets. The article demonstrates that throughout the twentieth century, there was a gradual shift away from viewing genre as a normative model or a set of formal features. Genre is increasingly interpreted as a dynamic category associated with the internal organization of the text, the historical and cultural context, and the type of artistic thinking. The paper traces the evolution of approaches to genre and genre-forming factors, moving from formal classification toward a broader range of methodological perspectives, including paleontological, semiotic, and other fundamental theoretical frameworks. An analysis of major works in literary theory reveals the internal continuity of scholarly approaches and the logic underlying shifts in theoretical paradigms. The article concludes that despite the blurring of genre boundaries and the active development of hybrid literary forms in twentieth-century literature, the category of genre retains its theoretical significance. Genre continues to play an important role in the literary process, functioning as a means of transmitting artistic experience, a form of cultural memory, and a tool of interaction between author and reader.