GENRES’ BALANCING IN E. MENDOZA’S NOVEL “THE AMAZING JOURNEY OF POMPONIUS FLAT”

Abstract

The article explores the genre specificity of the postmodern novel, “The Amazing Journey of Pomponius Flat” by the contemporary Spanish writer Eduardo Mendoza. The novel is based on the principles of a ludic literature tradition, one of the manifestations of which is a sophisticated interplay of various ‘high’ and ‘low’ genres in neo-baroque fashion. The novel develops an ironic detective story, but also represents different genre markers of the travel novel, the picaresque and historical novels, whose traditions and cliches are introduced in an ironic way. The journey of the heronarrator, which is mentioned at the beginning and at the end of the novel, in fact, has no significance for the plot. The image of the protagonist combines two archetypical figures, keys to Spanish literature – the trickster and Don Quixote. In accordance with the tradition of a historical novel, E. Mendoza’s work creates the illusion of historical reconstruction, but there is no true historicism in the novel, since reliable facts are interspersed with speculations and fantastic elements that question the reliability of the whole story.