Karel Čapek versus Agatha Christie. K poetice midcultu

Abstract

Karel Čapek versus Agatha Christie. The poetics of Midcult This essay focuses on the issue of semantic and expressive specificity that is mid-level in the vertical model of literature (known as Midcult). It explores this issue through a comparative analysis of two short stories on the same theme. This essay focuses on two particular aspects: thematic construction (one thematic line versus multiple thematic lines) and the nature of the narrative (objective versus subjectivized narrative). The essay thus sees Povídky z jedné kapsy (translated by Norma Comrada as Stories from One Pocket) as a typical product of the middle literary level, which it considers an essential part of any developed literary culture with the important function of cultivating and mediating for the reader.

Keywords

• karel čapek
• agatha christie
• midcult
• detective story
• vertical thematic construction
• subjectivized narration