Romanetto (romaneto in Czech) is a literary genre popularized by the Czech writer Jakub Arbes. Works in this genre are usually novella length: longer than a traditional short story, but shorter than a novel. Their plots include an unexplained mystery that is later explained via rationality and scientific fact.[1] While largely associated with Arbes, the term has been applied to modern Czech literature as well.[2][3]
Arbes was a translator of Edgar Allan Poe[4] and often drew upon Poe's supernatural themes in his work, calling the writer a "great model" with "[an] unusual knack for evoking fear in the reader via cold logical construction." The genre also bears similarities to crime literature[2] and science fiction.[5] His first romanetto, and the work that gave rise to the form, was the popular story Svatý Xaverius (The Saint Xaverius), published in the magazine Lumir in 1873.[2] In this story, a painting by Franz Xaver Palko is believed to contain a magical cipher that leads to a hidden treasure, but the "treasure" in question is merely an obsessive knowledge that leads to the protagonist's death. Jan Neruda, the managing editor of the magazine, coined the term "romanetto"[2]-- an italic diminutive version of the Czech word román, or "novel."
References
edit- ^ Panorama of Czech Literature. Union of Czech Writers. 1986. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d Gawarecka, Anna (2018). "The Mystery in the Image. Czech Writers Solving Crimes in the Art World" (PDF). Forum of Poetics. 13. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Clute, John; Grant, John (15 March 1999). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Macmillan. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-312-19869-5.
- ^ Vines, Lois Davis (25 April 2002). Poe Abroad: Influence Reputation Affinities. University of Iowa Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-58729-321-4.
- ^ Tsjechisch 3. Literatuur voor Nederlandstaligen (in Dutch). Academia Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-90-382-0471-0. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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