Novels of the end of 1990s-2000s on changing inter-generation relations and experience transfer

Russianliterature of the 1990s-2000s emphasizes the relationship crisis between generations of "grandfathers","fathers" and "children". The collision of stereotypes and values of generations - the archetypalprocess - is becoming too common in the era of Technos. The concept of a dynamic culturefundamentally changes the idea of consistency and efficiency of storing the generational experience.Formalists said that there is no one-way development, but only the polycentric one. This can becorrelated with the idea of "rhizome" (G. Deleuze, F. Guattari), topical in the modern"communicative" era. The literature of the 1990s-2000s shows that forgotten "side lines", "oldertraditions" become important in private domestic life.In the novels of the 1990s the "indirect" situation (in the sense of kinship) of generational links ispunctuated: uncle (aunt) / nephew (Runaround by A. Utkin, Medea and Her Children by L. Ulitskaya),teacher / student (Chapayev and Void by V. Pelevin, Slynx by T. Tolstaya), neighbours in the dorm(Underground or Hero of Our Time by V. Makanin), stepfather / stepdaughter (The Immortal by O.Slavnikova). This is typical for the approach of the1990s, due to either acute criticism of the "Soviet"values of "fathers", or loss of awareness of the "fathers" in historical cataclysms.This approach gives an unexpected transformation of generational inheritance practices, appropriate tothe needs of the era of the 1990s in the story (continuity within a single generation, transfer of experiencefrom junior to senior, etc.). In the novel Runaround A. Utkin shows by the material of fictional "historical"scene of the 1830s that continuity is only possible in synchrony, within one generation, outliving theirexperiences within themselves. In the novel of V. Makanin, The Underground or Hero of Our Time, anunderground old writer P. learns from a young banker Lovyannikov how to exist without any support of themass values and stereotypes, the observance of which leads either to anti-social acts (murder, committed byPetrovich), or to a spiritual dead end ( closure of the underground values).Novels of the 2000s show the interest of young characters in the "grandfathers" (Haze Lies on theOld Steps by A. Chudakov, The Resurrection of Lazarus by V. Sharov, Konigsberg by Yu. Buida, TheFish by P. Aleshkovskiy, Mathematics by A. Illichevskiy, etc.). The distance from the "grandfathers"in time and space, the fact that they have the "texts" allow "grandchildren" to take up the spiritualcontinuity in terms of civilization experience division. In Chudakov's novel the character realizes thatall things his grandfather taught him every day are fading away. P. Aleshkovskiy, in his novel TheFish. The Story of One Migration, shows that as a result of communication with old strangers thecharacter finds a salutary experience of alienation from the world and acceptance of its chaos. In thestory by I. Kochergin, I Am Your Grandson, the state of being a grandson is a label by which thewriter Ilya is remembered in Belgium. Ilya writes a novel about his grandfather, Stalin's supporter,plays with the text of grandmother's oral stories, but he is realizes the inexplicable life of the elders.

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