In this article we examine the phenomenon of the frame narrative in 19^th-century continental Europe based on five national literary histories (of France, Russia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland) using social network analysis (SNA) as well as elements of the literary field and the cultural transfer analysis. Having selected three authors out of each national literary history as representatives of the respective generation of frame narrators (corresponding to the first, second and last third of the century), the relationships between fifteen chosen writers were examined on the basis of their letter collections, diaries and biographies. The analysis identified strong and weak relationships (ties) between authors (nodes), with density determined for each node of the network. It was concluded that the second generation of frame narrators, whose network activity was stimulated and maintained by the strong tie between I. Turgenev and P. Heyse, had significantly contributed to spreading of the frame technique and retaining the prestige thereof. The third generation of European frame narrators had much smaller and weaker networks compared to the second one, yet it drew on the work of their predecessors to produce framework narratives of high aesthetic value.