Vol. 17 (2024): Contemporary Issues of Literary Criticism Literatures of Small Countries and Challenges of the Modern Global World
World Literature and National Literatures

The Picaresque Genre in the Works of Kutaisi Writers

Solomon Tabutsadze
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature

Published 2024-12-20

Keywords

  • Picaresque genre,
  • Kutaisi writers,
  • Narration and listening,
  • Existential distress,
  • Crisis epoches

Abstract

The main character of the picaresque genre is an archetypal figure—a cunning trickster—in world literature. This genre itself emerges during times of crisis. On the one hand, it is shaped by the era; on the other hand, it possesses a narrative quality that defines texts of this type. Telling and listening to stories of a deceitful nature serves as a universal means of coping with human existential struggles. Notable examples of such works include Sergo Kliashvili's The Adventure of Lakhundarel and Rezo Cheishvili's The Adventure of Shaliko Khvingiadze.