Fiction in the context of cultural education (Some comments concerning modern oriental literature)

Abstract

This research focuses on modern foreign literature which introduces readers to the socio-cultural field and widens the outlook of future professionals. Cultural knowledge allows to embrace both the values of the past and the best achievements of the present, which contributes to the formation of a well-rounded personality. Fiction is an important component of cultural knowledge thanks to its polyfunctional nature — it is a harmonious synthesis of science, technology and art, it facilitates personal growth and self-fulfillment.

There are several strategies represented in foreign fiction. The article focuses on the following aspects vividly described in the 20th century literature: self-realization, self-development, self-discovery, the identification of “the other/ another” in social dimension, the relations between the person and the family, the person and the society as well as person to person relations. The evidence is taken from Eastern literature, which is less known to Russian readers. The article features examples that, in our opinion, highlight the socio-cultural issues that concern modern student audience.

The article concludes that the world of fiction shapes a citizen and a highly cultured person. It develops heuristic thinking, esthetic taste and ideals and facilitates a more effective adaptation of a university graduate in market economy.

Not only fiction as a whole, but also everyday realia provide for an integrated function of fiction in the educational process. As a whole, fiction forms students’ need for self-realization and self-assertion as an individual creative agent of culture, as a definite personality.