Cultural formation in a contemporary lithuanian novel: history, society, heritage

ENThe article deals with the discourse of cultural formations and their representations in contemporary Lithuanian novel. The main aim of this paper is to research cultural formation in contemporary Lithuanian novel, reflecting collective identity as the discourse of cultural trauma and functional memory. The conception of cultural formation by Jan Assmann, the theory of cultural trauma of Piotr Sztompka and Aleida Assmann’s notion of functional memory is the methodological background. The three cultural formations are presented and analysed: history as a cultural formation (novels by Ramūnas Klimas, Sigitas Parulskis, Vladas Kalvaitis, Justinas Sajauskas); society as a cultural formation (novels by Aleksandra Fomina, Aneta Anra, Gabija Grušaitė, Unė Kaunaitė); heritage as a cultural formation (novels by Nijolė Kliukaitė, Stasys Lipskis, Saulius Šaltenis, Aldona Ruseckaitė). The first cultural formation attests the relation among history and traumatogenic social change. The second one shows both a correlation among emigration and traumatogenic social change, and a critical evaluation of the post-Soviet man. The third cultural formation reveals the relation between cultural canon and cultural identity, showing how the latter was formed under the influence of historic events, ideology and official cultural memory. The main conclusion informs that all the mentioned formations are temporary and determined by the dominant knowledge, social identity and symbolic framework.