Parables-positions in the police novel “The Era of Mercy” by brothers Wainers

Abstract

The article continues studying the successive relationship of the genres of the police novel and parable, primarily the relationship of the narrated parables and the positions of characters. (The issue of parable as a genre source of the police novel was raised by the author in the report earlier.) After analyzing “The Era of Mercy” by br. Wainer as a canonical Russian ethic variation of the police novel the author comes to the following conclusions. The text is full of parables as well as episodes of a parable kind. The characters (primarily heroes-sleuths and criminals) tell parables in the situation of the ethical choice or thus justify the previously made choice, it is characteristic of the police novel. Specific and universal description plans in parable are “substantive and equitable” (N.D. Tamarchenko), the same is true for the police novel while there in the course of the narrative, a specific plan is transformed into a universal one. In the final the universal and specific plans are balanced what is necessary for the implementation of its edifying sense. The findings help to take a fresh look not only at the police novel but at parable as well.