On the Genre Specificity of the Graphic Novel

The article explores the genre nature of the graphic novel as a unique narrative form that emerged at the intersection of literary and comic traditions, occupying a special place in the contemporary literary process. The object of study is the graphic novel as a graphic-literary genre, combining the structural complexity and thematic depth of the novel with the grammatical tools of comics. The subject of the article is the genre specificity of the graphic novel in terms of its compliance with the criteria of the novel genre accepted in modern literary studies (primarily in the works of M.M. Bakhtin and N.D. Tamarchenko). The aim of the work is to identify and systematize the genre characteristics of the graphic novel, as well as to critically reassess its initial genre labeling based on the materials of the graphic novels "A Contract with God" by W. Eisner, "Maus" by A. Spiegelman, "Watchmen" by A. Moore and D. Gibbons, and "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" by F. Miller. The methodological foundation includes the works of M.M. Bakhtin and N.D. Tamarchenko dedicated to the genre characteristics of the novel, as well as the works of V.I. Tyupa on genre categories and narrative strategy. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the poetological analysis of the genre nature of graphic novels, which not only established this genre definition for a broad audience but also took on the role of a standard for the further development of genre identity in the field of visual narratives. The results of the study show that the graphic novel is formed at the intersection of a wordless novel and comics: from the former, it borrows the depth of thematic issues, focus on historical experience, and individual fate; from the latter, the grammar of visual storytelling, compositional techniques, and the dialogue between word and image. The poetics of the novel manifest in the verbal-visual synthesis through motif organization, graphical transformation, and the counterpoint of inserted texts. The chronotope of the unfinished present is expressed through the comparison of graphic styles, the dialogicity of spatial-temporal plans, and the openness of the ending, while the zone of contact is conveyed through the artistic organization of autobiographical material and the limitations of superhero discourse. The genre synthetic nature of the graphic novels discussed demonstrates the realization of novelistic nature in a hybrid sign system.

graphic novel, genre, genre identity, verbal-visual transformation, novel genre, novel, wordless novel, comics, poetics of the hybrid text, genre synthesis