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American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

Servi 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABSTRACT 

The article explores the meaning of the genre of literature ‘family saga’ in modern American literary criticism. The 

general meaning of ‘Family saga’ gives us a definition that this genre chronicles represent the way of life and traditions 

of a family or several related or interconnected families over some time. The article aims to present traditions that are 

emerging, evolving, and how they are handed on over time. ‘Family saga’ gives us glimpses beyond the daily struggles 

of life in ways that resonate with our deepest connections to our own families. The article has an analytical and 

historical approach to the study of these novels. The scientific novelty of the research work lies in the aspects forming 

family values of American families who lived in the period under review are compared, as every literary family has its 

secrets and stories that can be difficult and heartrending. The article examines the question posed in world literary 

studies about the genre of family chronicle, the peculiarities of its principles in general, and individual families in 

particular. The study reveals a peculiar form of a story about the life of a particular society. 

 

KEYWORDS 

Saga, America, literary criticism, word, definition, genre, family, events, traditions 

INTRODUCTION 

In English-language literary criticism, the approach to 

the problem of the family chronicle genre is somewhat 

different; both the terminology and the principles for 

defining the specifics of the genre differ. 

 The family chronicle in American literary criticism is 

usually called the "family saga": 

“Saga – a narrative telling the adventures of a hero or 

a family; originally (12th to 14th centuries) a story of the 

  Research Article 

 

“FAMILY CHRONICLE” IN ENGLISH LITERARY CRITICISM 
 

Submission Date: May 23, 2022, Accepted Date:  June 03, 2022,  

Published Date: June 14, 2022  

Crossref doi: https://doi.org/10.37547/ajps/Volume02Issue06-01 

 

 

Nadejda Lokteva 
Doctor of Philosophy in philological sciences (Ph.D.), Lecturer, Uzbekistan State University of World 

Languages, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

Journal Website: 

https://theusajournals.

com/index.php/ajps 

Copyright: Original 

content from this work 

may be used under the 

terms of the creative 

commons attributes 

4.0 licence. 

 

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Volume 02 Issue 06-2022 2 

                 

 
 

   
  
 

American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

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families that settled Iceland and their descendants but 

now any prose narrative that resembles such an 

account” [16]. 

Saga (Icelandic, plural “sögur“) is a literary genre 

developed in medieval Iceland that is a historical prose 

story, fictional story, or legend. 

The word is derived from the verb sega, “to tell”, “to 

retell” (in German sagen, in English to say). The author 

of the saga, often anonymous, is sagnamaðr (plural 

agnomen). 

The UK's Encyclopedia of Fantastic Literature correctly 

notes that the English word "saga" comes from 

Icelandic: 

“The word saga meaning saying comes from the 

Islandic language and refers to Old Norse and Islandic 

family stories” [14]. 

THE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS 

In modern American literary criticism, the following 

definition of the family chronicle is given: “the family 

saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives 

and doings of a family or several related or 

interconnected families over some time. In novels (or 

sometimes sequences of novels) with serious intent, 

this is often a thematic device used to portray 

particular historical events, changes in society, or the 

ebb and flow of fortunes from a multiple perspective. 

The typical family saga follows generations of a family 

through a period of history in a series of novels” [9, 

p.46]. 

According to the American literary critic L. Vine Day: 

“The family saga is defined as a genre of literature that 

follows generations of a family through historical 

events, changes in social circumstances, or the gain 

and loss of wealth from multiple perspectives over 

some time" [4, p. 73]. This definition seems to us to be 

correct in principle since the specificity of the family 

chronicle lies precisely in the epic coverage of several 

generations of one family in a reasonably wide period. 

At the same time, the family chronicle is characterized 

by a fairly large number of characters belonging to 

different generations. This genre is called a chronicle 

precisely because it captures all the most important 

events in which members of this family participate. But 

on the other hand, the definition of L. Vine Day seems 

to us too broad, since it allows us to include in this 

series not necessarily a work of art, but historical 

works, etc. 

In American literary criticism, there are several 

synonyms for the term “family saga” - “family saga”, 

such as “epic”, “chronicle”, “legend”, “folk tale”, 

“romance”, “traditional story”, “history”, “narrative”, 

“adventure”, “fairy story” and “myth” [17]. 

The use of the word "saga" often leads to confusion. In 

this case, they are identified with the concept of an 

epic work. In this sense, the word "saga" is used 

colloquially today to refer to a multi-volume cycle of 

novels or works of an epic nature, even if they do not 

rely on a literary basis like the animated film 

"Deerslayer" or the cinematic "saga" Star Wars. But 

the saga is also used in the literary criticism meaning 

that interests us. American criticism considers the 

family chronicle as a literary genre: – “A deeply moving 

consideration of family relationships in historical, social 

and political context” [1]. At the same time, the 

emphasis is on the chronicity of the life of several 

generations of one family. 

According to Regis Boyer: “... a saga is a story in prose 

that talks about the life and deeds and deeds of a hero 

who remains in memory for many reasons, from his 

birth to death, without missing either his ancestors or 

subsequent generations” [10]. In general, this 

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Volume 02 Issue 06-2022 3 

                 

 
 

   
  
 

American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

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definition, in our opinion, is correct, since the saga or 

family chronicle implies a detailed description of the 

life of the characters. But at the same time, it can be 

attributed not only to the genre of family chronicles. 

The famous American literary critic Bernard Ruhrbach 

believes that the family chronicle: - “It is a work of 

fiction, names, characters, places, and incidents either 

are the products of the author's imagination or are 

used factiously, and any resemblance to actual 

persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely 

coincidental” [11, p.178]. Indeed, the family chronicle is 

most often based on fiction, but novels can also be 

written on documentary material. A family chronicle, 

as a work of art, can also tell about real people involved 

in historical events. 

American writer Kathleen H. Wheeler gives her 

definition: “The family saga chronicles of related 

American writer Kathleen H. Wheeler gives her 

definition: “The family saga chronicles of related lives 

and doings of a family or several interconnected 

families. The typical novel follows the generations of a 

family through a period to portray particular historical 

events, changes of social circumstances, or the ebb 

and flow of fortunes from multiple perspectives” [6]. 

Defining the genre of the family chronicle, Kathleen H. 

Villiers appeals to her writings and shows why her 

duology "The Shame Of Her Youth" - 1987" and 

"Brought To Our Senses" - 2016" can be considered a 

family chronicle. She identifies four features of her 

dilogy. 

Kathleen H. Villiers considers the image of 5 

generations of heroes to be the first feature of this 

genre: “5 generations of the family are represented”. 

The second feature of her novels, according to the 

writer, is the depiction of the historical conditions in 

which this family exists: “The Great Depression, 1970’ 

divorce revolution, the Alzheimer’s epidemic in the 

new century and beyond.” 

The third feature is that the family story is told from 

four points of view: each of the four sisters expresses 

her attitude towards her parents and the events taking 

place in the family. 

And, finally (the fourth feature), the writer believes 

that the family chronicle should cover a sufficiently 

large period (in her novel, events take place over 75 

years, from 1934 to 2009). 

In one of the interviews, answering the 

correspondent's questions, Katherine Villiers 

emphasizes: 

“– My novel meets all the criteria that define a family 

saga. It's nice to have that much figured out! » [6]. 

When asked about the genre of her works, the writer 

defines them as a family chronicle: “My novel falls into 

the genre of literature known as the family saga. You 

might even consider my new book to be women's 

fiction. There's no need to pigeonhole it though. It's 

about coming to terms with a family in conflict and 

caring for aging parents. Most importantly, it’s about 

finding the way back home to family when they’re 

needed most – when the going gets tough” [6]. 

Supporters of the American definition also emphasize 

the history segment of the family chronicle: “The 

family saga is a genre of literature which follows 

generations of a family (and/or interconnected 

families) through a period of history (typically 

represented in a series of novels). Most of them can be 

classified as "historical fiction" since actual historical 

events and persons are woven throughout"[18]. 

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Volume 02 Issue 06-2022 4 

                 

 
 

   
  
 

American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

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According to the American literary critic Cynthia 

Crossen, “... The favorite family sagas not only tell a 

story from several points of view but also give voice to 

characters from three, four, or five generations. If 

aunts, uncles, –laws, and godparents stick their noses 

into the plot, so much the better. Family sagas are 

about genes and the odd ways they're diluted, 

amplified, and perverted over the years. Sometimes it's 

a mercy that great–granny never knew what happened 

to her children's children"[4]. 

In American literary criticism, the terms "family saga" 

and "family chronicle", both denoting the Russian 

family chronicle, were used as synonyms until the 

middle of the 20th century. However, in the second 

half of the twentieth century, there was a "separation" 

of these two terms - only the term "saga" began to be 

used to refer to works of art, and family chronicles. 

With the light hand of J. Galsworthy, the term "family 

saga" was fixed and entered the English and American 

literature; while the term "chronicle" began to be used 

to refer to fictionalized family chronicles of statesmen 

and historical figures, famous scientists, writers, 

athletes, and other prominent people. 

"Family Chronicle" was created and is being created 

and sow the day "by order", but it was published and is 

being published in limited quantities. Customers want 

to restore the history of their ancestors, to acquaint a 

certain number of readers with it - acquaintances, give 

them to friends, guests, etc. However, for “custom 

family chronicles” the term “family saga” is still 

preserved, such as “The Zelmenyaners: a family saga” 

(“The Zelmenyaners: a family saga”) [7], “The Saga of 

the Marx family” (“The Marx family saga") [5], "Daisy 

Turner's kin: an African American family saga")[2], 

"Master O'Rourke's children: an Irish family saga" 

("The children of Master O'Rourke: an Irish family 

saga") [13], "The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family" 

("The sisters: the saga of the Mitford family"). This list 

can be continued indefinitely [8]. 

In American literary criticism, the "southern school" (a 

concept that has developed in literary criticism) of 

family chronicles is also distinguished. According to R. 

O. Stevens, this little-studied variety of fiction is often 

used by writers of the US South, and its roots go back 

to the Old Testament: “A family saga is a literary form 

much practiced in southern writing but little analyzed 

in scholarship and criticism.  

According to R. O. Stevens, "... The basic elements of 

the saga are oral family stories, enlarged upon and 

transformed in the novels and nonfictional chronicles" 

[12, p.36]. Subsequent American literature has given 

vivid examples of novels of this genre. 

Among the authors who further developed the 

southern family chronicle, R. O. Stevens names T. S. 

Stribling and W. Faulkner, Caroline Gordon, Allen Tate, 

and Andrew Lightle. Family history novels by writers 

such as Katherine Ann Porter, Eudora Welty, and 

Shirley Ann Grau are based on the oral tradition of 

American Southern folklore that was circulated among 

women and reflected matriarchal-patriarchal 

generational conflicts. Authors such as Margaret 

Walker, Ernest Gaines, and Alex Haley, Toni Morrison 

depict the struggle of African Americans for freedom 

and their rights. And according to critic Robert 

Stephens, "The third-generation writers, such as 

Reynolds Price and Lee Smith, reached beyond history 

in their sagas to find moments of mythic vision, or they 

reduced family and public history to the past less 

present of popular culture" [12, p.138]. The southern 

family chronicle is still developing today. According to 

R. O. Stevens, she makes an invaluable contribution to 

the study of this living tradition, both in southern 

writing and in the study of this genre in other cultures. 

– “The Family Saga in the South will make an 

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Volume 02 Issue 06-2022 5 

                 

 
 

   
  
 

American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

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inestimable contribution to understanding this vital 

tradition in southern letters while pointing the way for 

studying the genre in other cultures” [12, p.138]. 

CONCLUSION 

Thus, summing up the assessments of the family 

chronicle genre by Russian-language and English-

language literary criticism, one can make a final 

definition. The author, who has chosen the genre of 

family chronicle, is faced with the task of talking not 

only about the life of one or several generations, since 

it is about the family, but also about social life and the 

historical fate of the nation. In family chronicles, the 

general is given through the particular, which shows 

that this or that family depicted in the work is an exact 

reproduction of the whole society in miniature. 

Therefore, the studied genre represents a peculiar 

form of a story about the life of a particular society. 

 

REFERENCES 

1. Augenbraum Harold. Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the 

Homesick Restaurant //Houston Chronicle, 

1982/26/10. 

2. Beck Jane C. Daisy Turner's kin: an African 

American family saga. – Urbana [Illinois]: 

University of Illinois Press, 2015.  

3. Cynthia Crossen. Family Sagas. The wall street 

journal. – August 29, 2011. 

4. Daye L.Wayne. The Ghost Of Big Tom: A Saga 

Of An American Family (Anglais) Broché. – N.Y., 

2012. – P.73. 

5. Kathleen H. Wheeler. Stories that sing. 

http://www.authorkathleenhwheeler.com/  

6. Kulbak Moshe; Halkin Hillel. The Zelmenyaners: 

a family saga. – New Haven: Yale University 

Press, 2013; 

7. Lovell Mary S. The sisters: the saga of the 

Mitford family. – N.Y.: Norton, 2002. 

8. Martin Arnold. The post-classical Icelandic 

family saga. – N.Y.: Edmon Mollen Press, 2003. 

– p. 46. 

9. Régis Boyer, Sagas légendaires islandaises, 

Broché 2012 

10. Roorbach B. Writing Life Stories. – Ohio: 

Writer’s digest books, 2008. – p. 178. 

11. Stephens Robert O. The Family Saga in the 

South. – N.Y.: W. Morrow, 1993. – p. 32. 

12. Smith John Chabot. The children of Master 

O'Rourke: an Irish family saga. – N.Y. : Holt, 

Rinehart and Winston,1977. 

13. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by 

John Clute and Peter Nicolls – London: Orbit, 

1994.– p. 558.  

14. LOKTEVA, N. (2021). THE DISTINCTIVE 

PECULIARITIES OF THE AMERICAN" FAMILY 

CRONIC" OF XIX CENTURY. THEORETICAL & 

APPLIED SCIENCE Учредители: 

Теоретическая и прикладная наука, (9), 355-

372. 

15. Mikhailovna, L. N. (2021). FEATURES AND 

STRUCTURE OF A SPECIAL TYPE OF NOVEL 

PROSE OF THE GENRE" FAMILY CHRONICLE". 

Galaxy International Interdisciplinary Research 

Journal, 9(10), 56-61. 

16. Локтева, Н. М. (2021). Роман «Женский 

портрет» Г. Джеймса: к вопросу раскрытия 

психологии характера. 

17. LOKTEVA, N. (2021). THE DISTINCTIVE 

PECULIARITIES OF THE AMERICAN" FAMILY 

CRONIC" OF XIX CENTURY. THEORETICAL & 

APPLIED SCIENCE Учредители: 

Теоретическая и прикладная наука, (9), 355-

372. 

18. Локтева, Н. М. (2015). Роман" обед в 

ресторане “Тоска по дому”" Энн Тайлер и 

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Volume 02 Issue 06-2022 6 

                 

 
 

   
  
 

American Journal Of Philological Sciences   
(ISSN – 2771-2273) 
VOLUME 02 ISSUE 06     Pages: 01-06 

SJIF IMPACT FACTOR  (2022: 5. 445)  
OCLC – 1121105677    METADATA IF – 5.963 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Publisher: Oscar Publishing Services 

Servi 

проблемы гуманизма. Вестник Московского 

государственного лингвистического 

университета. Гуманитарные науки, (25 

(736)), 116-122. 

19. LOKTEVA, N. ПРОБЛЕМАТИКА РОМАНА ДЖ. 

АЛЬВАРЕС «КАК ДЕВОЧКИ ГАРСИЯ 

УТРАТИЛИ СВОЙ АКЦЕНТ». 

20. Lokteva, N. THE WOMEN’S FAMILY CRONICLE 

IN AMERICAN LITERATURE OF XIX-XX 

CENTURY. Chief Editor.  

 

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