The master's thesis opens the question of the manifestation of evil in Zakhar Prilepin's contemporary Russian novel The Abode (rus. Обитель), which has in Russia achieved both literary and critical affection, as well as readers sympathies. The novel deals with the camp theme and fits into the context of camp prose, but it differs crucially from works of classical camp prose written by A. Solzhenitsyn and V. Shalamov. By reincarnating traditional Russian themes and motifs, Z. Prilepin applies his version of the truth to the complex historical issues of the Soviet Gulag, whose experience has never been comprehensively reflected in Russian society. The alienated position of the narrator (who has not experienced labour camp himself) allows him to introduce more expressive and adventurous elements into the camp world, even love intrigues, as a result of which the novel approaches popular genre schemes and moves away from the document of the time. Taking into account the ethics of otherness and the ethical reading of literature, the master's thesis focuses on the influence of outstanding genre schemes (picaresque and adventure) on the analysis, understanding, and message of the novel. In this thesis, the banalization of evil in the human hell of Gulag is problematized. The way we present evil today influences its perception and shows the prevailing spirit of the time. Many readers nowadays are no longer moved by the horror of absolute evil happening, furthermore, they see it simply as “normal” and “ordinary”, even “likable” and “adventurous”, having fun and enjoying the suspenseful story while reading such novels.
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