The influence of genre characteristics on character portrayal in novels: a study of Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People and Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s The Family Clause

In contemporary literature, the portrayal of a character has become an integral element of a work’s genre structure, reflecting both the individual traits of the character and the unique features of the narrative itself. This study is particularly relevant given the increasing interest in the interplay between various genre forms and expressive techniques used to depict personality within literary texts. The problem is the limited exploration of how a work’s genre influences the methods employed in character representation. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between genre characteristics and the development of character portraits in the prose of Fredrik Backman and Jonas Hassen Khemiri. The methodological framework combines genre-stylistic analysis, comparative analysis, and elements of the psycholinguistic approach. The findings reveal that in Backman’s comedic novel, character portraits are primarily constructed through authorial narration, along with descriptions of characters’ actions and thoughts, whereas in Khemiri’s psychological novel, character portraits have a fragmented corporeal-linguistic nature. A comparative analysis of the two novels, Anxious People and The Family Clause, demonstrates that their genre-specific features directly influence not only the structural and stylistic devices employed but also the functions of the character portrait — from evoking reader sympathy to illustrating the complexity of the characters. These results emphasize the importance of considering genre features when analyzing the techniques of character portrayal in contemporary literature.