One of the most famous creations of Alexander Kuprin is the “Garnet Bracelet”. The genre of this work is not so easy to determine. It is called both a story and a story. What is the difference between these genres? And to which of them does the “Garnet Bracelet" still refer?
Plot
The work “Garnet Bracelet”, the genre of which will be defined in this article, is dedicated to extraordinary, unearthly love. The main characters are a married couple Vera and Vasily Sheina. The action takes place in a small provincial town by the sea. Vasily Shein holds the honorary position of the head of the nobility, which obliges a lot. He is present at dinner parties of the highest level, has a corresponding appearance, and his family life is exemplary. Friendly, warm relations are connected with his wife Vasily. Vera has not experienced passionate love for her husband for a long time, but she understands him perfectly, which can be said about Basil.
The plot takes place in the fifth chapter, when the hostess’s birthday is celebrated in the Sheinykh’s house. Unnoticed by guests, Vera receives a gift and a rather lengthy letter attached to it. In the message is a declaration of love. The gift is a massive puffed gold base bracelet adorned with garnet.
The reader later learns the background. Before the marriage of Vera, the author of the letter threw her love letters. But once secretly from her husband, she in writing forbade him to send such messages. From now on, he confined himself only to congratulations on the New Year, Easter, and name day. He did not stop the correspondence, but he did not speak of love anymore in his messages.
Relatives of Vera, and especially brother Nicholas, were extremely outraged by the gift. And so they decided to take effective methods to neutralize the restless fan. Once Vasily and Nikolai went straight home to a man who had been unrequitedly in love with Vera for more than eight years, and in insistent form demanded to stop writing. A garnet bracelet was also returned to the donor.
Genre
In the literature there are various types of works: from a small lyric poem to a large-scale novel in several volumes. The contents of the work “Garnet Bracelet” were briefly described above. Its genre must be defined. But first, a few words should be said about this literary concept.
Genre - a collection of works that have some characteristic common features. This can be a comedy, and an essay, and a poem, and a novel, and a story, and a story. We will consider the last two options. The genre of “Garnet Bracelet” by Kuprin, of course, cannot be a comedy, a poem, or a novel.
What is a story?
The difference between the story and the novel is significant. It is impossible to confuse these genres. The main feature of the story is its small volume. To draw a line between him and the story is much more difficult. But there is still a difference. The story describes the events that are part of one whole plot. This genre originated in the time of Ancient Russia. His first examples were works on the exploits of Russian soldiers. Much later, Karamzin began to develop this genre. And after him - Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev. The story is characterized by a uniform leisurely development of events.
What is a story?
This genre is a small realistic work. It resembles a Western European short story, but many literary scholars distinguish a story in a separate, special kind of work. The story is characterized by an unexpected denouement. This genre differs from the story in the absence of prehistory, a limited number of characters, and concentration around the main event.
So all the same - a story or a story?
At the beginning of the article, the plot of the work “Garnet Bracelet” was outlined. What genre comes to mind after reading this work or even a brief retelling of it? Undoubtedly a story. The “Pomegranate Bracelet” depicts characters who are not directly related to the main events. Some are mentioned in passing, others in great detail. The work gives a detailed description of Anna, Vera's younger sister. In addition, the biography of General Anosov, a friend of the Shein family, is presented in sufficient detail. He is not only just depicted by the author brightly and colorfully. His presence in the plot has a symbolic meaning. Anosov discusses with Vera the theme of "true love, which men are no longer capable of." He also pronounces an essential phrase about the feeling that Vera met on the path of life and which every woman in the world dreams of. But this hero does not affect the course of events. Its significance in the plot is only symbolic.
It should also be recalled that in the work of Kuprin there is a background. Vera tells the same Anosov about the events of recent years, namely about the admirer who presented her with a compromising gift. All this allows us to state with confidence that the genre of Kuprin's work “Garnet Bracelet” is a story. Although it is worth adding that this concept is inherent exclusively in Russian literature. In other languages, it has no exact analogue. In English and German, for example, Kuprin's work is called a short story. And therefore, the one who defines the “Garnet Bracelet” as a story will not make a blunder.