Beyond the tragedy: Hamlet in popular literature

Abstract

The present paper examines the analysis of narrative strategies of mass literature in the novels ‘Something Rotten’ by Jasper Fforde and ‘Gertrude and Claudius’ by J. Updike, in particular, the study of the implementation of the metatextual potential of classical literature in the sphere of mass culture.

The article describes the phenomenon of narrative structures of mass literature, used in the texts studied. It is noted that Hamlet as a literary character appears in one of a series of novels by the British fantastic fiction writer Jasper Fforde, which the author refers to the genre of alternative history.

The author of the article shows that Jasper Fforde uses irony and techniques of literary play in the imaging of the image-cliche of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which was formed in the mass cultural consciousness. There are harmonious philosophical reflections, in particular reasoning about the causes of the inexhaustible attractiveness and popularity of the Shakespearean tragedy, the many-sidedness of the living image of Hamlet, the importance of each unique interpretation of this image, secret places and artistic uniqueness of the Shakespearean tragedy, but disguises them with plot and imaginative schematic in the analyzed text. Studies of also indicate that in the Fforde’s novel Shakespeare’s text gets to a number of changes by the forces of his characters.

The article states that in the Updike’s text features of the melodramatic genre appear the most prominently, in particular the ‘pink’ female novel: in the top of the plot — a sensual and passionate adultery, the psychology of the female protagonist, her intimate thoughts and feelings.

The author proves that the fact of the transformation of the plot and image system of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in the novel of the Updike is not in doubt. It is shown that it is successfully implemented both as a means of postmodern literature and by the use of narrative strategies of mass literature. Updike’s novel controverts with Shakespeare primarily at the moral and ethical level, justifying the power of love and the right to happiness. He justifies Gertrude and Claudius due to the custom of time: the medieval traditions of marriage, bequest, upbringing, revenge, etc. There is the artistic time shifts in the novel.

The study traces the activation of the metatextual resource of ‘Hamlet’ by Shakespeare in mass literature on the example of the texts of Fforde and Updike and in the mass consciousness that manifests itself in culture. The realization of this potential can take place in various ways: from a literary game with cultural stereotypes to transformation, a kind of ‘posting’ of the plot and changing the angle of the narrative that we observe in the analysed creative works.