Characters and generic landscapes

a tentative approach

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between typical characters and more or less stereotyped ("schematic") literary genres, with a special focus on robinsonades. The research addresses three central questions: the minimum determination imposed by the genre on characters, the limits of intertextual transformations of these characters, and the interaction between character, genre, and historical-literary evolution. For this, a work by critic Noé Jitrik is analyzed, along with the theoretical contributions of Gérard Genette, Marie-Laure Ryan, and David Fishelov. The results indicate that robinsonades require only two essential traits: the main character must be a survivor and be isolated. The recognizability of the genre is preserved through a “generic landscape,” but also through the cultural dissemination of the figure of Robinson Crusoe. The analysis of historical development reveals transformations in the secondary traits of characters, ensuring the genre’s continuity, although with a significant distancing from its original model. In this way, we aim to contribute to both the study of the reception of schematic literary genres and the further development of the theory of fictional character.