DOSTOEVSKY’S CONFESSIONAL NARRATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ADOLESCENT NOVEL

Abstract

American critics have recognized the adolescent novel as a formative subgenre of the national literature since the middle of the 20th century, and some have found that Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground are as important for it as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, analysis of J. Salinger’s classic The Catcher in the Rye and Donna Tartt’s recent The Goldfinch shows that The Karamazov Brothers and The Raw Youth (The Adolescent) seem to be even more important for American first-person novels about a young hero as they draw a lot from Dostoevsky’s confessional narratives. The comparison of classic Russian and contemporary American adolescent novels demonstrates parallels in Christian symbolism (Salinger) and urban imagery (Tartt) to reveal the protagonist’s inner self. As in Dostoevsky, confessions in Salinger and Tartt perform both self-analytical and narrative functions. Following Dostoevsky’s model, Salinger and Tartt bring their characters to some reconciliation with the reality thanks to the development of a great theory, or idea. For Salinger’s hero it is a savior-like mission; for Tartt’s it is a discovery of special “middle zone” where he can find both beauty and love. Writing a sincere confession helps both Russian and American adolescents arrive at this relatively peaceful state of mind.