What is a story? Genre originality of the story. Topic: myths and tales of the ancient world Topic: children's drama

Keywords

SWEDISH PROSE / ASTRID LINDGREN / POLITICAL MOTIVES / ETHICAL CONFLICT/ FANTASY / PARABLE / DYSTOPIA / CHRISTIAN SENTIMENTALISM/ SWEDISH PROSE / ASTRID LINDGREN / POLITICAL MOTIFS / ETHICAL CONFLICT / FANTASY / PARABLE / DYSTOPIA / CHRISTIAN SENTIMENTALISM

Annotation scientific article on linguistics and literary criticism, author of the scientific work - Koblenkova D.V.

The political and ethical issues of A. Lindgren's late story “The Lionheart Brothers” are considered. The conceptual difference between the works of A. Lindgren from the early 40s and the mid-70s of the twentieth century is analyzed. Motivational analysis of the text allows us to identify the strengthening of traditional humanistic motives, a return to the idea of non-resistance to evil through violence. Lindgren's rejection of the ideas of the early period is associated, like most other writers who advocated the active transformation of society, with disappointment in the methods of social reform. Lindgren comes to the conclusion that any transformation of life, even one conceived for the benefit of man, is associated with violence. The ideal hero in the story is a person who does not cross the moral line. Thus, the semantic center of the story becomes ethical conflict. The sacrificial path of the hero, symbolizing ideal goodness, is presented in the form of a journey to alternative worlds after death. Lindgren uses elements fairy tale, fantasy, political parable, dystopia. The symbolism of the story refers to the biblical image system. The motives, nature of the conflict and poetics allow us to conclude that the traditions of Christian sentimentalism are used in the story.

POLITICAL AND ETHICAL MOTIVES IN A. LINDGREN’S FANTASY NOVEL “THE BROTHERS LIONHEART”

The article discusses political and ethical problems raised in A. Lindgren’s later novel “The Brothers Lionheart”. The conceptual difference between the works of A. Lindgren written from the early 1940s to mid-1970s is analyzed. The analysis of the text reveals the strengthening of traditional humanistic motives and the return to the idea of nonresistance to evil. It is discussed that Lindgren’s abandonment of her ideas of the early period, like in the case of most other writers who advocated active transformation of society, is due to the disappointment in the methods of social reforms. Lindgren concludes that any transformation of life, even if it is conceived for people’s benefit, is accompanied by violence. The ideal hero of the novel is a man who does not cross the moral line. Thus, an ethical conflict becomes the focus of the novel. The self-sacrifice path of the hero who symbolizes the perfect good is presented in the form of a journey to alternative worlds after death. Lindgren uses some elements of a fairy tale, fantasy, political parable, dystopia. The symbolism of the novel refers to the biblical imagery. The novel’s motifs, the nature of the conflict and the poetics suggest the use of Christian sentimentalism traditions in this work.

Text of scientific work on the topic “Political and ethical motives in the fairy tale story by A. Lindgren “The Lionheart Brothers””

Philology

Bulletin of Nizhny Novgorod University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky, 2015, No. 1, p. 270-276

POLITICAL AND ETHICAL MOTIVES IN A. LINDGREN’S FAIRY-TALE STORY “THE LION HEART BROTHERS”

Nizhny Novgorod State University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky

Received by the editor December 24, 2014

The political and ethical issues of A. Lindgren's late story “The Lionheart Brothers” are considered. The conceptual difference between the works of A. Lindgren from the early 40s and the mid-70s of the twentieth century is analyzed. Motivational analysis of the text allows us to identify the strengthening of traditional humanistic motives, a return to the idea of non-resistance to evil through violence. Lindgren's rejection of the ideas of the early period is associated, like most other writers who advocated the active transformation of society, with disappointment in the methods of social reform. Lindgren comes to the conclusion that any transformation of life, even one conceived for the benefit of man, is associated with violence. The ideal hero in the story is a person who does not cross the moral line. Thus, the ethical conflict becomes the semantic center of the story. The sacrificial path of the hero, symbolizing ideal goodness, is presented in the form of a journey to alternative worlds after death. Lindgren uses elements of a fairy tale, fantasy, political parable, and dystopia. The symbolism of the story refers to the biblical image system. The motives, nature of the conflict and poetics allow us to conclude that the traditions of Christian sentimentalism are used in the story.

Key words: Swedish prose, Astrid Lindgren, political motives, ethical conflict, fantasy, parable, dystopia, Christian sentimentalism.

In the sociocultural life of Sweden in the 1970s, the works of Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (1907-2002) take on a new meaning due to her active political position. The era itself contributed to this: social democracy was on the eve of a political crisis, discussions on the Swedish “third way” and internal economic reforms were renewed.

K. Lindsten wrote that “in the 70s in Sweden it became customary to raise political and social issues even on the pages of children's books.” Lindgren in these years, as once in the 40s, after the release of Pippi, again found herself at the epicenter of political and social controversy. As a result, in 1973, A. Lindgren’s ethical and political story “The Lionheart Brothers” was published, and in 1976, in the Expressen newspaper, the famous storyteller amazed the public with an unprecedented satirical pamphlet about the extremes of Swedish tax policy. The public response to its publication was such that it influenced the results of the next elections to the Riksdag: for the first time in several decades, the Social Democratic Party lost. This “literary” incident showed how great the influence of one particular person was in Sweden. Of course, Lindgren

was a charismatic figure, but in fact remained only a children's writer. Consequently, the reason for her popularity was her ability to express in her original works the main principles of personal self-determination. For the second time in the history of twentieth-century Sweden, a woman writer became the spiritual leader of the nation. At the beginning of the century, this position was occupied by S. Lagerlöf; in the second half of the 20th century, A. Lindgren reached this peak. Although Swedish society rapidly feminized and contributed greatly to changing intellectual life in the country, this case remains apparently unprecedented in world history. It is also important that both Lagerlöf and Lindgren deserve such treatment for their “children’s” works, i.e. for texts that propose a certain model of personality education.

The more interesting literary evolution Lindgren, since her prose of the early 70s differs significantly, if not radically, from the works of the 40s. The early stories were striking in their destruction of the literary and ethical canon and reflected ethical debates about individual freedom and the image of the superman. The author of “Pippi” and “Carlson” was attracted only by passionate personalities. Second-

foamy heroes were those who were waiting for their appearance and with them - changes in their destiny. The attitude towards strong, non-systemic characters divided Swedish society, but the majority spoke out in support of them, since at that stage Sweden needed a new proactive hero who was not afraid to break stereotypes. At the same time, in the 40s and 50s, it became obvious what place children's and adolescent literature occupied in Sweden, how serious social and pedagogical functions it performed. Researchers rightly note that Swedish literature, on the one hand, has a certain freedom compared to children's books in many countries, since it is created in a democratic country, on the other hand, it is often forced to follow the social course, to educate in the “right” direction. It is much more difficult for children's writers than for creators of “adult” literature to be unbiased authors in a state in which public institutions closely monitor compliance with certain pedagogical and ethical standards. In addition, with the change of eras, the moral climate also changes, so the same work can be evaluated differently.

In the 70s, a new era began in literature. Politics came first, and A. Lindgren “was attacked by young radicals for immorality. Her heroes were found to be elitist individualists. She was accused of not analyzing the causes of evil and social injustice» .

In response to criticism from her opponents, Lindgren responded with the fairy tale “The Lionheart Brothers” (Bröderna Lejonhjärta, 1973). And this text turned out to be completely different in its ethical orientation from the “anarchist” stories of the forties and, of course, did not suit the “young radicals.”

Long before A. Lindgren wrote the story “The Lionheart Brothers”, her collection “Little Nils Karlsson” (Nils Karlsson-Pyssling, 1949) appeared new image a sick and lonely child. The magical Uncle Liljonkvast took such lonely children to another world called the Land of Twilight, or the Land Between Light and Darkness.

In the fairy tale “Mio, my Mio!” (Mio min Mio, 1954) a suffering child heard the sad bird Goryun in the garden, foreshadowing hard times. So heavy that for many these harbingers reminded the dystopias of C. Boyer “Callocain” and “1984” by J. Orwell. For this reason, Lindgren’s book was found “destructive and pessimistic”, inappropriate

the present “optimistic and idyllic” era of the 50s. In 1959, A. Lindgren released the collection “Sunny Glade” ^ippapap^), which again caused conflicting opinions. In one of her interviews, Lindgren said that she wanted to move “the well-fed children from the municipal parks of the People’s House out of town and allow them to run barefoot in a heavenly sunny meadow,” thereby demonstrating that not everything is in the “People’s House,” that is, in the new social system Sweden seems to her harmonious and thoughtful. The text of the new story - “The Lionheart Brothers” - once again surprised both literary scholars and readers. The increased interest in the story is due to the fact that the theme of “Brothers” is not purely for children. The political discourse of the narrative promoted the fairy tale to the ranks of “adult” works of “social indignation.” It is not surprising that The Lionheart Brothers is seen as Astrid Lindgren's response to the political rhetoric of the 70s.

Unlike many of her works, in this fairy tale Lindgren used among the techniques of secondary convention a fantastic assumption and the creation of alternative worlds. The action takes place first in earthly reality, which depicts a boy slowly dying from a serious illness on a kitchen sofa in a poor apartment. His mother is preoccupied with her inner life and personal unhappiness after his father leaves. The child understands that he is a burden to her. This destroys the idyllic idea of an inextricable connection between parents and children, mother and sick child. Lindgren fearlessly breaks with the tradition of patriarchal ideas about the family hearth as a source of stability and happiness.

As in other works of the author, in which children found loved ones not in their parents, but in someone else, little Karl finds salvation in his older brother, who replaced his father. Moreover - in the subtext - not only the earthly father, but also the Heavenly Father, wise and noble, who became his protector. The older brother Jonathan is distinguished by his amazing beauty and kind heart; he looks like a fairy-tale prince with golden hair, blue eyes and a gentle smile. He alone takes care of the sick boy, tells him stories in the evenings, warms honey water at night to relieve a severe cough and consoles him with the thought of the existence of another country, Nangiyaly, where he will live cheerfully and easily, without suffering from his illnesses. There he will live in Cherry Valley, fish and ride the horse he so dreamed of on earth.

The story about the brothers' spiritual attachment is told from the perspective of a dying boy. This is a rare case in literature when the narrative is entrusted to a child awaiting death. The technique allows us to enhance the existential sound, gives the story an emotional and lyrical intonation and at the same time gives the reader the right to interpret the story in different ways, including as a dream or vision. A weak and sickly boy enthusiastically admires his beautiful brother, worthy of being called Jonathan the Lionheart for his nobility. The little narrator himself does not hide his fears and anxieties, considering himself Karl the Hareheart. But Jonathan loves his weak brother, emaciated from tuberculosis, and affectionately calls him Rusk.

The second part of the story begins after an unexpected tragic incident: Suharik’s house caught fire, and his older brother, saving him, jumped down with him, holding him on his back. Dying, he said: “Don’t cry, Suharik. We'll see you in Nangiyal! . So Lindgren returns to the image of the Land of Twilight, that is, the world of death as another, alternative space where the time of “bonfires and fairy tales” flows.

The image of another world reveals kinship with Christian images other worlds in the works of G.Kh. Andersen (“The Little Match Girl”), C. Dickens “The Bells”, F.M. Dostoevsky (“The Boy at Christ’s Christmas Tree”). Spiritual ideal spaces were the subject of depictions of the romantic heroes Nova-Fox, E.T.A. Hoffmann, V. Gauf, E. Poe. But Lindgren’s motif of dual worlds shows that the story is written not only about a pragmatic earth and a spiritual sky. And the heroes themselves are not escapists of the romantic era. They are “revolutionaries of the spirit”, who, however, find themselves in each of the realities not free from social hierarchy and difficult ethical choices.

Social themes gradually creep into the story: after the fire, the poor charity society gave Sukharik and his mother “old furniture,” and “mother’s aunties,” who ran to her “with their rags, muslins and other junk,” “also gave something.” . The dying Suharik was still lying on the old sofa in the kitchen, since his mother lived in the only room, who still sewed for wealthy ladies. No one, as before, showed compassion for the child. On the contrary, he knew how everyone regretted that it was not he who died, but his brother: “Poor you, Mrs. Leyon! After all, it was Jonathan who was so wonderful with you!” . The child does not say a word about his mother in his internal monologue. She doesn't care

talked about him, but he did not condemn her. However, the lonely and dysfunctional state weighed so heavily on the boy that he waited to move to Nangiyala, where he eventually ended up.

After a brief idyllic picture of a meeting with Jonathan, who showed him their house in the Cherry Valley, who presented him with a wonderful horse Fja-ral and a fishing rod, the new stage in the fate of two dead brothers. The text takes on political content: Jonathan talks about another country - the Valley of Thorns, in which power belongs to the tyrant Tengil, who controls the inhabitants with the help of the dragon Katla (Old Norse female name, meaning "cooking pot"; it is also the name of a volcano in Iceland). Elements of a fairy tale are intertwined with elements of a political parable. The text is completely restructured and becomes a description of the struggle against the dictatorship of Tengil (a variant of the Old Norse name TiengSh - “lord”). The dictator is depicted as a black knight from the country of Carmagnac. Medieval knightly paraphernalia, the presence of a castle surrounded by a stone wall, power over a fire-breathing dragon controlled by a magic horn are elements of fantasy. The principle of depicting two opposing worlds, the confrontation of which forms the adventurous outline of the story’s plot, is also borrowed from fantasy. Lindgren also relies on the medieval epic when depicting positive heroes. Direct association connects Jonathan with Richard the Lionheart.

Noble Jonathan helps the residents of the Valley of Thorns. He single-handedly rescues the prisoner Ur-var, the leader of the liberation struggle, from the Katla cave. At the same time, contradictory characteristics emerge among those leading this movement for a new order. Lindgren's Good and Evil are ambiguous, the boundary between them is blurred. For example, the red-haired hunter Hubert from Cherry Valley is vain and jealous of another leader of the movement - Sophia. Sofia, the mistress of an idyllic garden, commanding the wise white doves, despite her symbolic name, is not far-sighted enough, does not trust the words of Sukharik, and succumbs to the deception of the traitor. The traitor Jussi, nicknamed the Golden Rooster, on the contrary, inspires confidence with his goodwill and cheerful disposition. Urvar, the main figure among the rebels, after his release is ready to lead people, without doubting his right to violence.

As a result, the main ethical conflict in A. Lindgren’s story becomes: Jonathan right-

Urvar asks whether he is ready to kill enemies in order to free the Valley of Thorns, to which he undoubtedly answers in the affirmative. But Jonathan, unlike him, is not ready to kill.

Even if it's about saving your life? - Urvar asked.

Yes, even then,” Jonathan replied.

Urvar could not understand this...

When, after the victory and the death of people, many in the Valley of Thorns cried, Urvar did not cry: “Not Urvar,” Lindgren will write.

“If everyone were like you,” said Urvar, “then evil would reign supreme and forever rule the world!”

But then I said that if everyone were like Jonathan, then there would be no evil in the world.”

This main dialogue of the story is reminiscent of the conversation between Sonya and Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment and between the Prisoner and the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov by F.M. Dostoevsky. A similar dialogue was introduced into a number of works of literature of the twentieth century. . Astrid Lindgren also addresses the topic of Dostoevsky, whose influence on Swedish literature is very great and is constantly confirmed by Swedish writers and readers. In contrast to her position in the early forties, she comes to think about the ethical boundaries of what is permitted, about the need for internal self-improvement, and not violent change peace. Explaining the concept of the story in 1978 when she was awarded the German Booksellers Peace Prize, Astrid Lindgren entitled her speech “Not Violence.” Consequently, the author's position has changed significantly. She clearly returned to universal values, like most writers who began with revolutionary works and then became disillusioned with the practice of social reform.

The world of death of Nang-gial, depicted in her story, into which little Suharik was so eager to get, ceases to be an ideal space. The story is filled with dystopian content. The outcome of this story is new death Jonathan from the fire of Katla, which his younger brother will again courageously follow into the next - the third world. Another transition of Sukharik to the new world of Nangilima through the second death is another terrible attempt to become strong, to become happy. The last words of the story: “Oh, Nangili-ma! Yes, Jonathan, yes, I see the light! I see the light! - can be interpreted in different ways: from the pathetic assertion of the thought that faith in

the ideal is eternal, no matter how much one has to die for it, to the point of tragic denial of the possibility of finding Light, since transitions from one world to another multiply, and faith in the existence of ideal space becomes less and less.

In this story, both the Christian picture of the world and the worldview concepts of the romantics are rethought. The other world is filled with the same social and psychological conflicts as the earthly world. Social evil is shown as inescapable, born of the evil of everyone individual, which can coexist with noble impulses. In her biographical book about Lindgren, M. Strömstedt wrote that when “the view of Evil is not presented so clearly, the light of Good is seen more clearly, and darkness and black evil shadows become clearer.” Just such shadows fall on Lindgren’s heroes; they “grow out of a world of aggressiveness and violent emotions. Love and Good sleep side by side with destructive Evil, ready to ignite.” It is no coincidence that all the writer’s characters, who had a strong, emotional character, were capable of aggressive actions, justified by the goal, the justice of revenge. Heroes who are unable or unwilling to cross the “line,” as a rule, on the contrary, were portrayed as balanced, devoid of exaltation. Their energy was directed inside themselves; personal harmony and moral integrity were more important to them, unlike those whose energy was directed to transforming the world.

By the time Lindgren created the story, she had clearly changed her emphasis: in her early works, the writer fought evil with the help of active heroes who themselves could easily break the law; her latest works, on the contrary, contain elements of Christian ethics. Jonathan is clearly depicted as Christ-like: forgiving, loving people, ready to sacrifice. Having killed no one in the battle, he himself is mortally wounded and dies, still not wishing harm to anyone. Repeatedly when asked by Suharik why he does this, why he risks his life, helps people, and does not take revenge on his enemies, Jonathan replies that a person should not be “a little pile of crap” (“en liten lort”).

This expression by A. Lindgren conceals not only a psychological meaning concerning the behavior of individual people. She spoke about such responsibility, referring to the state. In the context of Swedish history, this has to do with both foreign policy and domestic social programs. This understanding of responsibility reflected her personal disappointment.

formation in social democracy, which had forgotten about the ideals of the “People’s House” and returned, in its conviction, to the class struggle, behind which lies the eternal desire for power.

As a result, no book by Lindgren, not even Pippi Longstocking, has been as harshly criticized as The Brothers Lionheart: “When published in 1973, The Brothers Lionheart was an ill-timed book. The books of the 70s were educational essays on social issues about gender roles and environmental pollution; about director Franta, who has messed up the whole world, about mom, who works as a plumber, about dad, who put on an apron and cooks food.” Marxist literary critics from Gothenburg accused Lindgren of representing evil only on one side and considering death to be the solution to all problems. Ola Larsmu, in the article “If everyone were like Jonathan” (1983), wrote that “Junatan’s pacifism is certainly a noble quality, but it does not stand the test of reality.” The radicals fighting imperialism hoped to live to see victory over it in this life, and not in the next, and therefore were also outraged. Psychologists, for their part, considered it unacceptable to depict a situation in which children are forced to die twice and thereby increase the already shocking experience of death. The last episode of the story, in which Jonathan calls on Sukharik not to be afraid of death and to follow him again, was generally perceived as a call to child suicide.

The story thus attracted criticism for both political and ethical reasons.

The famous writer P.K. Erschild also wondered about Lindgren’s position, but tried to defend it: “Which political party does Astrid Lindgren stand on? Does she understand what she's doing? Does she write with her heart or her mind? If she writes with her mind, then what views does she share: social democratic, centrist, communist or the views of Glistrup... It is difficult to make such distinctions; they must be combined with respectful attitude to a work of art, with wisdom and perhaps some sense of humor."

Lindgren was also defended by children who, judging by surveys, also perceived death as a transformation, a transformation. Doctors thanked Lindgren for the therapeutic effect that such a book provided, calming and reconciling with death. Lindgren herself did not object to such a perception of the text, but denied religious speculation.

tions on this topic. She did not impose ideas about the afterlife and called her understanding of the universe agnosticism.

Previously, A. Lindgren did not turn to the depiction of otherworldly existence and did not use so many symbolic images of Christianity. Critics noted the significance of the white dove, in the form of which Jonathan flies to the dying Sukharik. The white dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which confirms the already open comparison of Jonathan with Christ, and old Matthias, who sheltered Jonathan and saved his life, with God the Father. The traitor Jussi is associated with Judas Iscariot, the Cherry Valley in Nangiyal is associated with paradise. The double transition of the heroes, first to Nangiyala and then to Nangilima, in which there should be no death and evil, is also perceived by critics as the influence of the Catholic idea of purgatory and paradise, inspired by “ Divine Comedy» Dante.

Bu Lundin, in a 1973 review, even put forward the idea that Jonathan and Karl never got to Nangiyala, that everything that happens is the dreams of Karl, dying of tuberculosis, who dies for the first time precisely at the moment when he sees the light. Lundin's interpretation thus translates the text of the story into a realistic narrative plan. To numerous requests from the children to tell what happened to the brothers in Nangilim, Lindgren replied that the guys settled in the Valley of the Apple Trees on the Matthias farm, that they could now build huts, go around the forests, Karl received his dog named Mekke. Tengil and Yussi missed Nangilima. They ended up in another country called Lokrume. Since this is the name of one of the church parishes on the island of Gotland, one can understand how skeptical Lindgren was about attempts to give the story a religious interpretation and clearly eschewed the institutions of the church. But this did not stop the author from using traditional biblical allusions and recalling humanism. Lindgren's interest in Christian ethics is confirmed by her other later works: she published the collections “Christmas Stories” (Julberattelser, 1985), “Merry Christmas at Home!” (God Jul i stugan!, 1992) and the story “Christmas holidays are a wonderful invention, said Madicken” (Jullov ar ett bra pahitt, sa Madicken, 1993).

Other aspects of the story remained in the shadow of political and ethical-religious discussions. In particular, psychological and philosophical motive duality, spiritual kinship between brothers. The reception is so often present

It is known that the story of the creation of this fairy tale about brothers is unusual. First, Lindgren saw a strange metaphysical landscape near Lake Frücken, similar to the “dawn of humanity,” then at the cemetery in Vimmerby she read on one of the tombstones: “Here lie the newborn Phalen brothers, who died in 1860.” “I realized,” Lindgren said, “that I would write a fairy tale about two brothers and death.” Finally, the idea of strong and weak brothers, older and younger, symbolizing a complex unity, came to the author on the set of the film about Emil from Lönneberga, when boys were being selected for the role of Emil: “There was turmoil around little Janne Ohlson, camera flashes flashed. When it was all over, Janne slid out of his chair and perched himself on his older brother's lap. He pressed himself close to him, and his brother also hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Then I realized that in front of me were the Lionheart brothers.”

A natural question arises: how is Lindgren’s story connected with last novel Dostoevsky, with whom it is associated due to the name? It seems that it is not only the problems of “The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor” that make “The Lionheart Brothers” similar to “The Karamazov Brothers”. They are united by the idea of a deep psychological connection between opposite natures. Dostoevsky emphasized the complex unity of the images of the Inquisitor and the Prisoner, as well as the unity of the four Karamazov brothers. The disincarnation of the qualities of a single personality in different images shows that each of them contains the features of the others.

A. Lindgren uses the similarity of names: “Broderna Karamazov” and “Broderna bv]opb]ar1a”, but does not create such a complex figurative system. Her brothers have a common bright beginning. They are distinguished only by strength and weakness of spirit. But Sukharik “grows” spiritually during his stay in Nang-gial, imitating his mentor Jonathan. The concept of the image of Jonathan brings him closer to the image of Christ, and the story is perceived as Christian " pedagogical poem" It includes elements of an education novel, reminiscent of " Amazing journey Nils Holgersson in Sweden" S. Lagerlöf. But in the idealistic world of S. Lagerlöf, Nils found happiness on earth, but the brothers in A. Lindgren’s story did not find it even in death. If every transformation of the world is associated with violence, then evil is inevitable. The ending of the story is open: on the one hand, good reveals its non-viability, because Jonathan

died, and will he find ideal world in third space, unknown. On the other hand, if the author no longer believed in ideal systems, then she suggested believing in an ideal person, and, moreover, unlike the heroes early works, no longer crossing the line even in the name of a good goal. The use of biblical symbolism and the pathetic, often melodramatic pathos of the story, aimed at compassion for the weak and suffering, allows us to attribute the work to Christian sentimentalism. This ideological turn characterized the author’s perception of the last decades of the twentieth century. Lindgren actually returned to the ethical ideals that Lagerlöf wrote about. But if at the beginning of the century Christian ethics reflected the priorities of the majority, then in the era of radical changes there were incomparably more oppositionists. Lindgren again found herself outside the mainstream. Today about Lagerlöf, awarded Nobel Prize, Swedish researchers write about the creator of the literary canon, and Lindgren’s prose is perceived as “unformatted”.

By now, Swedish readers have been divided according to their priorities: for some Lindgren remained the author of Pippi Longstocking, for others she became the author of The Lionheart Brothers. Let us add that at the end of the twentieth century a large study was published in Sweden, “The Best Books of the Swedish People,” which presented a rating of the best works of Sweden of the twentieth century. It contained the most books by Lindgren, which proves her undeniable influence on the Swedish mentality. As for “Pippi” and “Brothers”, out of 100 nominations in this rating they took second and third places, respectively: “Pippi” surpassed “Brothers” by one position. This means that non-resistance to evil through violence turned out to be less preferable than the dream of a strong Sweden, which, like Pippi, could declare itself, as it once was in the era of great power.

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POLITICAL AND ETHICAL MOTIVES IN A. LINDGREN'S FANTASY NOVEL “THE BROTHERS LIONHEART”

The article discusses political and ethical problems raised in A. Lindgren's later novel “The Brothers Lionheart”. The conceptual difference between the works of A. Lindgren written from the early 1940s to mid-1970s is analyzed. The analysis of the text reveals the strengthening of traditional humanistic motives and the return to the idea of nonresistance to evil. It is discussed that Lindgren's abandonment of her ideas of the early period, like in the case of most other writers who advocated active transformation of society, is due to the disappointment in the methods of social reforms. Lindgren concludes that any transformation of life, even if it is conceived for people's benefit, is accompanied by violence. The ideal hero of the novel is a man who does not cross the moral line. Thus, an ethical conflict becomes the focus of the novel. The self-sacrifice path of the hero who symbolizes the perfect good is presented in the form of a journey to alternative worlds after death. Lindgren uses some elements of a fairy tale, fantasy, political parable, dystopia. novel refers to the biblical imagery. The novel's motifs, the nature of the conflict and the poetics suggest the use of Christian sentimentalism traditions in this work.

Keywords: Swedish prose, Astrid Lindgren, political motifs, ethical conflict, fantasy, parable, dystopia, Christian sentimentalism.

1. Lindsten K. Eh. Astrid Lindgren i shvedskoe ob-shchestvo // Neprikosnovennyj zapas. 2002. No. 1 (21). Rezhim dostupa: http://magazines. russ.ru/nz/2002/21/lind-pr.html

2. Lindgren A. Pomperipossa i Monismanien // Expressen, 10 March 1976. Rezhim do stupa: http: //www. expressen. se/noj e/pomperi-possa-i-monis-manien/

3. Lindgren A. Broderna Lejonhjärta. Stockholm: Rabén & Sjögren, 1973. 228 s.

4. Lindgren A. Brat"ya L"vinoe Serdce / Per. so shved. N.K. Belyakovoj, L.Yu. Braude. M.: Astrel", 2009. 253 s.

5. Suhih O.S. Dva filosofskih dialoga (“Legenda o velikom inkvizitore” F.M. Dostoevskogo and “Piramida” L.M. Leonova) // Vestnik Nizhegorodskogo universiteta im. N.I. Lobachevskogo. 2012. No. 6 (1). S. 321-328.

ture XX century. N. Novgorod: Mediagrafik, 2012. 208 s.

7. Stryomstedt M. Velikaya skazochnica. Zhizn" Astrid Lindgren / Per. s shved. E. Ehnerud, E. Er-malinskoj. M.: Agraf, 2002. 274 s.

9. Lundin B. Skorpans slut blir välbelyst // Expressen, October 26, 2009. . Rezhim dostupa: http://www.expressen.se/kultur/skorpans-slut-blir-valbelyst/

10. Edström V. Astrid Lindgren - Vildtoring och lägereld. Stockholm: Raben & Sjögren, 1992. 322 s.

11. Svenska folkets bästa böcker / Red. Y. Nilsson, U. Nyren. Boras: Diagonal Förlags AB, 1997. 130 s.

The best and most famous representative of the modern fairy tale genre in children's literature not only in Scandinavia, but throughout the world is Astrid Lindgren. Her books have been translated into more than 50 languages, including Russian.

The future writer grew up in peasant family, on a farm in the province of Småland. A modest office worker from Stockholm, she entered literature in the late forties as an author of stories for children and youth. Among Lindgren's first books are Pippi Longstocking (1945), the trilogy The Famous Detective Kalle Blomkvist (1946), The Dangerous Life of Kalle

Blomkvist" (1951), "Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus" (1953); "Mio, my Mio!" (1954). Then the trilogy about Malysh and Carlson, about Emil from Lenneberga, the books “The Lionheart Brothers” (1973), “Ronya, the Robber’s Daughter” (1981) were released. Lindgren's characters are known to children not only from books, but also from film adaptations and theatrical productions.

The Swedish writer diversified the genre palette of modern fairy tales, creating social, detective, adventure, heroic and romantic works. Close to folklore are her collection of fairy tales “Sunny Meadow” and the fairy tale “Mio, my Mio!”

The peculiarity of Lindgren's fairy tales is that she puts the child - the reader or the storyteller - in the place of the hero of the fairy tale. After all, children tend to play in others; they feel lonely and uncomfortable in the indifferent world of adults. From the fairy tale itself in its traditional understanding, what remains in the writer’s work is a kind of longing for this fairy tale, a thirst for magic. So, Prince Mio in reality is a foster child deprived of love and affection who wants to have a father. And it is in his fairy tale that he receives fatherly love, friendship, and the fulfillment of his cherished desires. The Kid felt just as lonely and unhappy, to whom the funny and good-natured, fat man Carlson, inexhaustible with inventions, began to fly, and the Lionheart brothers, moving from a painful everyday life to a magical land. But even in such a magical land, nothing comes for free. The writer forces her little heroes to make an effort, encourages them to take action, to take active action. This is exactly what happens to Prince Mio, who managed to defeat the evil knight Kato.

In the fairy tale “Mio, my Mio!” Nature itself also lives and acts. Animals, grass, trees, mountains help Mio and his friend. Captivating descriptions nature makes the modern storyteller related to Andersen and Topelius. Here are poplars with silvery leaves, their tops touching the very sky, so that the stars light up right on their tops. Here are marvelous snow-white horses with golden manes and hooves. Magic shepherd's flutes help friends in trouble, a spoon feeds itself, an invisibility cloak saves from persecution, that is, all folklore symbolism is evident here. And the old well whispers folk tales to the little heroes in the evenings. And at the same time, everyday life and reality are constantly mixed into the fabulous atmosphere. The boy Mio finds it difficult, scary, at times he despairs and cries, but still accomplishes his feat, becoming a real hero.

Lindgren's fairy tales differ from folklore sources in their greater psychologism and detailed development of characters. However, their endings, as in the story of Mio, lead to the traditional moral lesson: the victory over the evil knight was achieved through love and friendship.

Childhood, as the writer said in one of her interviews, is not an age, but a state of mind. Therefore, her fairy tales are addressed not only to children, but also to adults, and they speak to children in a serious, “adult” language. A similar attitude towards children, the ability to talk with them about important adult problems, is manifested in many of Lindgren’s works. Thus, the book “Brothers Lionheart” talks about the inevitability of death, about the loss of loved ones. Pippi is leading the fight for justice: she is kind and resourceful, she knows how to protect the weak and offended. The harsh reality is shown in "Rasmus the Tramp", where we're talking about about a shelter for orphans. The social aspect is constantly present in Lindgren’s work, and the writer believes that children should be told the truth, even when it comes to the most difficult and unpleasant things. In the case of Rasmus, reality dispels the child's rosy dreams of vagrancy. At first Rasmus has fun with the real adult tramp Oscar, but then he sees what kind of life this is: hunger, lack of rights, cruel treatment of others. The life of a tramp is a dog's life. And only having found his home and family, Rasmus understands what true happiness is: “With a small, dirty, thin hand, Rasmus stroked the logs of his home” - this is how this story ends.

With her hero Emil, Astrid Lindgren returns back to the farm, to the country of her childhood, drawing the funny and absurd pranks of this cheerful boy: “Emil from Lenneberga”, (1963) “New tricks of Emil from Lenneberga” (1966), “Emil from Lenneberga is still alive” Lönnebergs! (1970). A more romantic fairy tale is “Ronya, the Robber’s Daughter” - about two children, a boy and a girl. The heroes, despite the enmity that separates their parents, fierce robbers, carry friendship and mutual devotion through all trials. Young Romeo and Juliet do not die in the fight against evil, but emerge victorious. Astrid Lindgren's children represent hope for goodness and justice. The theme of love for nature, closeness to it and the ability to live in it is heard again in this book.

Based on folklore traditions and using the best samples literary fairy tale past, Astrid Lindgren created a modern fairy-tale world of childhood with very real features: loneliness, orphanhood, social problems of the big city, but also help, compassion, friendship, joy and laughter.

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Plan

Introduction

1. Biography of Astrid Lindgren

1.1 Early years

1.2 Beginning of creative activity

2. Fairy tales by Astrid Lindgren

Conclusion

Introduction

The literary fairy tale is a whole direction in fiction. Over the long years of its formation and development, this genre has become a universal genre, covering all phenomena of the surrounding life and nature, achievements of science and technology.

Just as a folk tale, constantly changing, absorbed the features of a new reality, a literary fairy tale has always been and is inextricably linked with socio-historical events and literary and aesthetic trends. The literary fairy tale did not grow out of nowhere. It was based on a folk tale, which became famous thanks to the records of folklorists. Literary fairy tales of the romantics are characterized by a combination of the magical, fantastic, ghostly and mystical with modern reality. The basis of a literary fairy tale can be a fantastic image born of a child’s imagination.

Humor in a literary fairy tale is of a different nature and has become its distinctive feature. Sometimes literary fairy tales written for adults become children's favorite reading, and vice versa, talented literary fairy tales intended for a children's audience become the property of both children and adults, and not only because the adult learns from them how the child perceives life, but also because adult life, reflected in the categories of children's vision and perception, acquires unexpected humorous and sometimes satirical contours. Widely popular among children fairy tale literature with elements of nonsense: paradox, surprise, alogism, apparent nonsense, poetic “nonsense.”

The literary fairy tale has many faces these days. It is called a “fantastic book”, “ fantastic story”, “fantastic story”, “modern literary fairy tale”, the term “fantasy” is increasingly used in the West - there is no complete unanimity among scientists. Among the definitions, the most complete is the formulation of L.Yu. Braude: “A literary fairy tale is an author’s artistic prose or poetic work, based either on folklore sources, or invented by the writer himself, but in any case subordinate to his will; a work, predominantly fantastical, depicting wonderful adventures of fictional or traditional fairy-tale heroes and in some cases child-oriented; a work in which magic, miracle plays the role of a plot-forming factor and helps to characterize the characters.”

lindgren fairy tale peppy carlson

1. BiographyAstrid Lindgren

1.1 Earlyyears

Astrid Eriksson was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby in the province of Småland (Kalmar County), into a farming family. Her parents, father Samuel August Eriksson and mother Hanna Jonsson, met when they were 13 and 9 years old. 17 years later, in 1905, they married and settled on a rented farm in Näs, a pastoral estate on the very outskirts of Vimmerby, where Samuel began farming. Astrid became their second child. She had an older brother, Gunnar (July 27, 1906 - May 27, 1974) and two younger sisters, Stina (1911-2002) and Ingegerd (1916-1997).

As Lindgren herself pointed out in the collection of autobiographical essays “My Fictions” (1971), she grew up in the age of “the horse and the convertible.” The main means of transportation for the family was a horse-drawn carriage, the pace of life was slower, entertainment was simpler, and the relationship with the surrounding nature was much closer than today.

This environment contributed to the development of the writer’s love of nature - this feeling permeates all of Lindgren’s work, from eccentric stories about the captain’s daughter Pippi Longstocking, to the story about Ronnie, the daughter of a robber.

The writer herself always called her childhood happy (there were many games and adventures in it, interspersed with work on the farm and in its environs) and pointed out that it served as a source of inspiration for her work.

Astrid's parents not only felt deep affection for each other and for their children, but also did not hesitate to show it, which was rare at that time. The writer spoke with great sympathy and tenderness about the special relationships in the family in her only book not addressed to children, “Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hannah from Hult” (1973).

1.2 Startcreativeactivities

As a child, Astrid Lindgren was surrounded by folklore, and many jokes, fairy tales, stories that she heard from her father or from friends later formed the basis of her own works. Her love for books and reading, as she later admitted, arose in the kitchen of Christine, with whom she was friends. It was Christine who introduced Astrid to the amazing, exciting world that one could get into by reading fairy tales. The impressionable Astrid was shocked by this discovery, and later she herself mastered the magic of the word.

Her abilities became obvious already in elementary school, where Astrid was called “Wimmerbün’s Selma Lagerlöf,” which, in her own opinion, she did not deserve.

After school, at the age of 16, Astrid Lindgren began working as a journalist for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen. But two years later she became pregnant without being married, and, leaving her position as a junior reporter, went to Stockholm. There she completed secretarial courses and in 1931 found a job in this specialty. In December 1926, her son Lars was born. Since there was not enough money, Astrid had to give her beloved son to Denmark, to a family of adoptive parents. In 1928 she got a job as a secretary at the Royal Automobile Club, where she met Sture Lindgren (1898-1952). They married in April 1931, and after that Astrid was able to take Lars home.

2. FabulousstoriesAstridLindgren

After marriage, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to devote herself entirely to caring for Lars, and then her daughter Karin, born in 1934. In 1941, the Lindgrens moved to an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. Occasionally taking on secretarial work, she composed travel descriptions and rather banal fairy tales for family magazines and Christmas calendars, thereby gradually honing her literary skills.

According to Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking (1945) was born primarily thanks to her daughter Karin. In 1941, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and every evening Astrid told her all sorts of stories before bed. One day a girl ordered a story about Pippi Longstocking - she made up this name right there on the spot. So Astrid Lindgren began to compose a story about a girl who does not obey any conditions. Since Astrid was then advocating a new and hotly debated idea of upbringing based on child psychology, challenging conventions seemed like an interesting thought experiment to her. If we consider the image of Pippi in a generalized sense, it is based on innovative ideas in the field of child education and child psychology that appeared in the 1930s and 40s. Lindgren followed and participated in the controversy, advocating for education that respects children's thoughts and feelings. The new approach to children also affected her creative style, as a result of which she became an author who consistently spoke from the point of view of a child.

After the first story about Pippi, which Karin loved, Astrid Lindgren over the next years told more and more evening fairy tales about this red-haired girl. On Karin's tenth birthday, Astrid Lindgren made a shorthand recording of several stories, from which she then compiled a book of her own making (with illustrations by the author) for her daughter. This original manuscript of Pippi was less elaborate stylistically and more radical in its ideas. The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to the largest Stockholm publishing house, Bonnier. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. Astrid Lindgren was not discouraged by the refusal; she already realized that composing for children was her calling. In 1944, she took part in a competition for the best book for girls, announced by the relatively new and little-known publishing house Raben and Sjögren. Lindgren received second prize for the story “Britt-Marie pours out her soul” (1944) and a publishing contract for it.

In 1945, Astrid Lindgren was offered the position of editor of children's literature at the publishing house Raben and Sjögren. She accepted the offer and worked in one place until 1970, when she officially retired. All her books were published by the same publishing house. Despite being extremely busy and combining editorial work with household responsibilities and writing, Astrid turned out to be a prolific writer: if you count picture books, a total of about eighty works came from her pen. The work was especially productive in the 40s and 50s. In the years 1944-1950 alone, Astrid Lindgren composed a trilogy about Pippi Longstocking, two stories about children from Bullerby, three books for girls, a detective story, two collections of fairy tales, a collection of songs, four plays and two picture books. As this list shows, Astrid Lindgren was an extraordinarily versatile author, willing to experiment in a variety of genres.

In 1946, she published her first story about the detective Kalle Blumkvist (“Kalle Blumkvist Plays”), thanks to which she won first prize in a literary competition (Astrid Lindgren did not participate in any more competitions). In 1951, there was a continuation, “Kalle Blumkvist Risks” (both stories were published in Russian in 1959 under the title “The Adventures of Kalle Blumkvist”), and in 1953, the final part of the trilogy, “Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus” (was translated into Russian in 1986). With Kalle Blumkvist, the writer wanted to replace readers with cheap thrillers that glorified violence.

In 1954, Astrid Lindgren composed the first of her three fairy tales - “Mio, my Mio!” (trans. 1965). This emotional, dramatic book combines the techniques of a heroic legend and a fairy tale, and tells the story of Boo Vilhelm Olsson, the unloved and neglected son of his adoptive parents. Astrid Lindgren has repeatedly resorted to fairy tales and fairy tales, touching on the fate of lonely and abandoned children (this was the case before “Mio, my Mio!”). Bringing comfort to children, helping them overcome difficult situations - this task not least motivated the writer’s work.

In the next trilogy - “The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof” (1955; trans. 1957), “Carlson, who lives on the roof, has arrived again” (1962; trans. 1965) and “Carlson, who lives on the roof, plays pranks again" (1968; trans. 1973) - the fantasy hero of a kindly kind acts again. This “moderately well-fed”, infantile, greedy, boastful, pouting, self-pitying, self-centered, although not without charm, little man lives on the roof of the apartment building where the Kid lives. As Baby's imaginary friend, he is a much less wonderful image of childhood than the unpredictable and carefree Pippi.

The Kid is the youngest of three children in the most ordinary family of Stockholm bourgeois, and Carlson enters his life in a very specific way - through the window, and does this every time the Kid feels left out, left out or humiliated, in other words, when the boy feels sorry for himself .

In such cases, his compensatory alter ego appears - in all respects, “the best in the world” Carlson, who makes the Kid forget about his troubles.

Conclusion

The writer died on January 28, 2002 in Stockholm. Astrid Lindgren is one of the world's most famous children's writers. Her works are imbued with fantasy and love for children. Many of them have been translated into more than 70 languages and published in more than 100 countries. In Sweden, she became a living legend because she entertained, inspired and consoled more than one generation of readers, participated in political life, changed laws and, most importantly, significantly influenced the development of children's literature.

The form of communication with fairy tales among modern children has changed. Communication with the media has become everyday life for them, and the teller of fairy tales - mother or grandmother - has been replaced by technology. And it is unknown what or who children give greater preference to: electronic device or a living narrator. It all depends on habit. However, lately there has been an increasing feeling of nostalgia for the past. Thus, in the USA, fairy tale telling courses are organized in colleges that train future librarians. In the last decade, the American “Society of Storytellers” has begun to function quite widely. Its participants, mostly women between 20 and 60 years old, are trying to revive the tradition oral history. They hold festivals of storytellers, which mostly feature fairy tales. And libraries regularly host matinees, fairy tale evenings with story-telling competitions and puppet theater performances.

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