Conversion of Fairy Tale Archetypes in a Plot or Morphology of an Adventure

Abstract

Peculiarities of the adventurous plot in the memoir 'The Adventures of My Life' by Solomeya Pilsztynova are studied in the article within the frames of the structural and functional approach. Being quite outstanding against the background of Polish and Belarusian memoiristics of the second half of the 18th century, the memoirs of Pilsztynova present quite a complex composition with respect to their plot and structure: it is a unique amalgam of different genres. In addition to the examination of the conversion of typical plot archetypes of such genres as a hagiography, Hellenistic novel or peregrination, the author of the article pinpoints the transformation of fairy tale plot universals on the basis of a thorough analysis of the plot structure of several episodes which create the complete life story of the character.