Incest and the Limits of Family in the Nineteenth-Century Russian Novel (original) (raw)

This article examines the complex representations of family and love in nineteenth-century Russian novels through the lens of incest. Focusing on lateral relations, the study identifies two conflicting trends: the centrifugal expansion of family ties and the centripetal pull of romantic love, ultimately recognizing how these dynamics shape characters' understanding of familial love. The exploration challenges the notion of incest as strictly transgressive, emphasizing its historical and cultural contextualization in literature.