Evolution of the genre of school stories in Russian literature of the 20th century

The article covers the evolution of the school stories genre in Russian literature of the 20th century. The authors compare the genres of school story and Bildungsroman, identify differences between them and consider periods in the evolution of the former. The analysis of the most important texts of this genre makes it possible to characterize changes not only in the genre structure but also in the system of characters, as well as it helps to reveal the genre elements which have become stable. In school stories of the 20th century, the authors trace traditions typical of the 19th century Russian literature, reveal features characteristic of all school stories, review attempts having been made to work out the typology of the genre, which demonstrates the main types of conflicts represented in such fiction. Dynamics of the system of characters, chronotope, problematic and an author''s opinion are considered. Analyzing stages in the genre evolution, the authors give an overview of how Russian writers exploited school theme in the 20th century.