ANALYSIS OF EARLY FORMS OF THE NOVELLA IN FOLKLORE: TALE AND ANECDOTE

Abstract. This article examines the early folkloric origins of the novella genre based on the fundamental work of Eleazar Moiseevich Meletinsky, “The Historical Poetics of the Novella” (1990). Particular attention is paid to the analysis of two primary folkloric forms: the novellistic tale and the anecdote. In the context of the historical poetics of narrative genres, studying the transformation of the fairy tale into the novellistic tale and the structural features of the anecdote is of great importance. The paper discusses theoretical approaches to distinguishing between magical and novellistic tales and identifies the complementary relationship between the novellistic tale and the anecdote. The findings of the study may be used for further research in folklore, literary theory, and the historical development of short prose forms.