Autor: Ivo Pospíšil (Ústav slavistiky, Filozofická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity)

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8358-0765

Jazyk: čeština

Bibliografické údaje: Litikon, 2026, roč. 11, č. 1, s. 28 – 36

Bibliografické údaje (ENG): Litikon, 2026, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 28-36

Ako citovať (APA):

Pospíšil, I. (2026). Návaznost a hodnoty: co je a co není román. Litikon, 11(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.17846/litikon.2026.11.1.28-36

Abstrakt (ENG):

The author of the present study explores a long-standing debate concerning the essence of the novel as a genre. This issue relates to how earlier stages of literary development shape the interpretation of later phenomena within genre theory, closely connecting with the core themes of Marta Keruľová’s scholarly work. The paper examines the dispute between the Russian medievalist Dmitry Likhachev and the Danish-German Slavic scholar Adolf Stender-Petersen regarding the Old Russian adaptation of The Tale of Varlaam and Ioasaf (11th–12th centuries). This text belongs to a chain of similar works reflecting—among other things—the political ambitions of Muscovite Rus, and later the concept of Moscow as the third Rome (“and there will never be a fourth”) proposed by the starets (elder) Philotheus of Pskov. Other texts in question include The Acts of Digenis (11th–12th centuries), The Tale of the Indian Tsardom / The Tale of Rich India (11th–13th centuries, though with highly uncertain dating), and The Tale of the Babylonian Empire (16th–17th centuries). While Stender-Petersen identifies in these works the power of fiction—which is typical of aesthetic and artistic relevance, fictionality, belles-lettres, and novelistic traits—Likhachev finds nothing in Old Russian literature that even remotely resembles a novel. According to him, medieval genres form closed monads tied to practical utility, particularly within a religious and ecclesiastical environment. Conversely, the development of modern literature demonstrates how medieval genres penetrate modern literary evolution like a subterranean river. The author places both concepts within the broader context of past and contemporary novel theories.

Keywords:

novel, The Tale of Varlaam and Ioasaf, Old Russian literature, Dmitry
Likhachev, Adolf Stender-Petersen

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17846/litikon.2026.11.1.28-36

Publikované: 28. 9. 2026

PDF

Licencia:

© 2026 Ivo Pospíšil. Toto dielo je licencované pod licenciou Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

© 2026 Ivo Pospíšil. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/