Old Genres in New Attire: Zsolna Ugron’s Novels

Abstract

Abstract In the present study we propose a look at Zsolna Ugron’s works from a generic perspective in order to analyze what conventions of genres such as the romance, the epistolary novel and the historical romance the author has revived and what are the elements that she has added or changed in order to make them appealing to the public and yield to critical analysis. We also attempt an investigation of the formation of female subjectivity as illustrated by these fundamentally feminine novels, given that all four of them operate with female protagonists, women in the process of shaping their destinies, often at crossroads where - despite all the external factors that seem to determine their fate from history to social conventions and men around them - ultimately they make their own personal choices and position themselves as responsible, active and creative subjects.