Novelization as a literary device in the biographies of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

K.F. Ayupova

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: lacroquant@yandex.ru

Received November 30, 2016

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Abstract

The paper deals with the current issues of biographical theory: the interaction of fiction and non-fiction, differentiation of biographical genres. Two contrasting novelized biographies of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, have been juxtaposed. The first biography “The Face without a Frown” was written by the duchess' descendant Iris Leveson-Gower in 1944 presenting a novelized and idealized version of her life. The “exposing” biography “The Two Duchesses” by Arthur Calder-Marshall came out in 1978 and offers a disparaging view on Georgiana's life circumstances. The aim of this paper is to define the function of novelization in each of the biographies. Employing the method of comparative analysis, the degree of novelization in each biography has been analyzed, as well as the authors' intents and methods and the resulting effect. Both works have been found to be containing novelistic elements, but neither of them can be described as a biographical novel. The aim of the first biography was to dispel the myths and rumors surrounding the Devonshires. I. Leveson-Gower novelizes her biography to ennoble Georgiana's character and to make her world more vivid to the reader. However, this rather impairs her work, disrupting the structure. A. Calder-Marshall employs fictional elements to speculate on the events and characters and to present his own version of the truth. The results of this study help to define the boundaries between the genres of biographical novel and novelized biography.

Keywords: biography, novelization, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Iris Leveson-Gower, Arthur Calder-Marshall

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For citation: Ayupova K.F. Novelization as a literary device in the biographies of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2017, vol. 159, no. 1, pp. 231–241. (In Russian)

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