Popular about popular literature. Gaston Leroux and mass reading in France in the period "beautiful

French mass literature invariably enjoyed great success among Russian readers, meanwhile, the experience gained until recently was not the subject of understanding by domestic scientists. The most productive periods in the development of this sphere of French literature include the end of the XIX -with the beginning of the XX century ("beautiful era"), when mass reading, preserving the commitment to the traditional narrative and stylistic principles, at the same time was subjected to a significant update. This process is especially clearly captured in the work of Gaston Leru (Gaston Leroux, 1868-1927) In Russia, there is not a single study about Leroux, whose works are also not fully represented in Russian translations.
In the prepared book in an accessible form for a wide reader, the novel work of Lerus is considered, taking into account his extensive heritage as a journalist. Particular attention is paid to the general context of the French mass reading of the "beautiful era". Separate chapters are devoted to Leru’s stay in Russia and the Russian topic in his prose and journalism, the role of Lerus"s works in the formation of detective literature (in comparison with Maurice Leblan), the poetry of the terrible in the novels of Lerus, the architectonics of his large -scale novel cycles (in comparison with the cycle of novels by P. Sovevestra and M. Allen about the phantom)