същността

With this article we set ourselves the goal of examining those problems of genre that are directly related to the question of the content and form of art. Because - let us emphasize this at the very beginning - genre is a category that has a bearing on both the content and the form of the work of art. There are three ways of literary depiction: lyrical, epic and dramatic. The interaction between them, the manifestations and originality of creative individuality, the impact of historical reality, etc. have not taken away their essential features - they have remained stable and unchangeable in their essence. In connection with these three ways of literary depiction, the corresponding literary and artistic forms have also arisen - lyrical, epic and dramatic. It is customary in literary studies to call these forms genres. Genre, in turn, is a specific concept in relation to the literary genre. For example, the epic, the novel, the short story, etc. are genres in relation to the epic. In contemporary aesthetics and literary studies, the view that genre is a special type of artistic form still prevails. At first glance, there seems to be nothing to object to such a view, since genre is related to one or another element of the form, which in its totality can be considered as a type of artistic form. We do not dispute that there is much truth in the view in question; genre could indeed be considered a special type of artistic form, but only on one hand, from one aspect. At the same time, on the other hand, it has a direct relationship to the content of the work of art and is itself a specific artistic content. (We will clarify the term “specific artistic content” below.) So the above view, according to which genre is a type of artistic form, absolutizes only one of its sides, and, to the extent that it does so, it is one-sided and limited.

The need for a thorough study of the nature and interrelations of aesthetic categories has long been apparent. Dr. Yuri Borev, in the second, expanded and revised edition of his book, has made an interesting attempt at their systematic study. His claim is well-founded that the consideration of aesthetic categories has so far remained at a low theoretical level, without a historical approach and especially without studying the connections between them. His efforts are aimed at overcoming these shortcomings and where he has succeeded, his work has a contributing character. The introductory part is an attempt at a historical study of the development of aesthetic categories. The author sought to comply with the dialectics of the logical and the historical. He has created a certain logical system of categories, from which he also proceeds in their theoretical study, “The categories of Marxist-Leninist aesthetics, as well as the categories of Marxist dialectics, are pivotal points in the history of human thought.