The thesis is the first study of the meta-genre nature of the campus novel in the field of Ukrainian literary criticism. It investigates the peculiarities of the campus novel genre, relying on the works of prominent authors of the campus prose (R. Merle, J. Williams, Z. Smith, H. Martinez, I. Nechuy-Levytsky, D. Berezina, O. Miguel).
The changeable concept of genre, in the course of retaining its heuristic potential, eventually undergoes a kind of diffusion and, due to the inter-genre interference, produces a meta-genre literary product, which naturally leads to the shattering of the genre canon and, consequently, creates original inter-genre forms. The study of the meta-genre parameters of the campus novel has confirmed this trend. Integrating the elements of various genres and art forms, the genre matrix of the campus novel produces a complex textual construct that reflects the cultural context and realities of the present. In addition, the genre of the campus novel serves as a kind of a platform for outlining important educational, cultural, political, social, psychological, gender, and personal issues. Satire as one of the core attributes of the campus novel (a caustic negative portrayal of the academic community and its inhabitants) usually resonates with the recipient’s own experience, thus ensuring the popularity of this genre. Formed in accordance with modern epistemological requirements and reader’s demands and having passed through gradual stages of genre evolution, the campus novel managed to expand the range of its addressees and become popular beyond its authentic topos. On account of its genre synthetic nature, it is capable of genological metamorphosis. Since this research deals mostly with post-modern texts, the campus novel synthesizes several
genre matrices, which significantly expands the scope of educational topics, incorporating both the generally important university ethical principles (instilling high moral values, broadening the worldview, keeping to the exemplary way of “maturing” the self-sufficient individuals) and acute socio-political, historical, cultural, and moral problems. The analysis of such genre implications on the example of the traditional and newly developed genres of historical, (quasi-)biographical, melodramatic, family, generational, socio-psychological, detective, and fantasy novels together with the campus novel made it possible to thoroughly trace the patterns of formation of meta-genre constructs and their functioning at the problematic, thematic, genre, and style levels of the text.
Hence, it may be concluded that the campus novel is a meta-genre with a theme, a specific chronotope and personosphere, an ironic narrative, and a tendency to synthesize forms and different languages of culture. The outlined strategies contribute to the constant renewal of the genre matrix, which proves the potential of the meta-genre, stipulating the further studies of the art of words in terms of changeable cultural and aesthetic paradigms.
