Character- type of artistic image, subject of action, experience, statement in a work. In the same sense in modern literary criticism phrases are used literary hero And character. The author of the textbook believes that a character is the most neutral of the options, because it is awkward to call someone who is devoid of heroic traits a hero, and an active person is a passive person (Oblomov).

The concept of character is the most important when analyzing epic and dramatic works, where it is the characters that form a certain system and the plot that form the basis of the objective world. In an epic, the narrator (storyteller) can also be a hero if he participates in the plot (Grinev in Pushkin). In lyric poetry, which primarily recreates the inner world of a person, the characters (if they exist) are depicted in a dotted, fragmentary manner, and most importantly - in inextricable connection with the experiences of the lyrical subject. The illusion of the characters’ own lives in lyric poetry is sharply weakened in comparison with epic and drama, so it is advisable to consider the issue of characters in lyric poetry separately.

Most often, a literary character is a person. The degree of concreteness of his portrayal can vary and depends on many reasons: on the place in the system of characters, on the type and genre of the work, but most importantly, on the writer’s creative method. More can be said about the secondary hero of a realistic story (about Gagina in Asa) than about the main character of a modernist novel. Along with people, animals, plants, things, natural elements, fantastic creatures, etc. can act and talk. (fairy tales, Master and Margarita, Mowgli, amphibian man) There are genres in which such characters are obligatory or very likely: fairy tale, fable, ballad, Science fiction, animalistic liter, etc.

The center of the subject of artistic knowledge is human essences. In relation to epic and drama, this characters, i.e. socially significant features, manifested with sufficient clarity in the behavior and state of mind of people, the highest degree of specificity - type(often the words character and type are used as synonyms). When creating a literary character, a writer usually endows him with one or another character: one-sided or multi-sided, integral - contradictory, static - developing, etc. The writer conveys his understanding and assessment of the characters to the reader, speculating and implementing prototypes (even if these are historical figures: cf . Peter in “Peter the Great” by Tolstoy and in “Peter and Alexei” by Merezhkovsky), creating fictional individuals. Character and character are not identical concepts! In literature focused on the embodiment of characters, the latter constitute the main content - the subject of reflection, and often debate between readers and critics. In the same character, critics see different characters. (controversy about Katerina, about Bazarov) thus the character appears, on the one hand, as a character, on the other, as artistic image, embodying a given character with varying degrees of aesthetic perfection. If the characters in a work are not difficult to count, then understanding the characters embodied in them is an act of analysis (in “Fat and Thin” there are four characters, but, obviously, only two characters: Thin, his wife and son form one close-knit family group). The number of characters and characters in a work usually does not coincide: there are much more characters. There are persons who have no character, fulfilling only a plot role (in Poor Liza, a friend informing her mother about the death of her daughter); there are doubles, variants of this type (the six princesses of the Tugoukhovskys, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky); the existence of characters of the same type gives critics grounds for classifications (tyrants and unrequited - Dobrolyubov, an extra person in Turgenev’s work)

In accordance with their status in the structure of the work, character and character have different criteria and evaluations. Characters call ethically attitude towards oneself, characters are primarily assessed with aesthetic point of view, that is, depending on how brightly and fully they embody the characters (as the artistic images of Chichikov and Judushka Golovlev are beautiful and in this capacity provide aesthetic pleasure)

the means of revealing character are various components and details of the material world in the work: plot, speech characteristics, portrait, costume, interior, etc. images are particularly cost-effective off-stage heroes (chameleon: the general and his brother, lovers of dogs of different breeds)

The spatial and temporal scope of the work is expanded thanks to borrowing characters, known to readers. This technique exposes the conventionality of art, but also contributes to the laconicism of the image: after all, the names introduced by the writer have become common nouns, the author does not need to characterize them in any way. (Eugene Onegin, the Skotinins and cousin Buyanov come to Tatyana’s name day).

The character sphere of literature consists of collective heroes(their prototype is a choir in ancient drama) (a workers' settlement in Gorky's novel Mother)

With the formation of personality, it is characters that become the main subject of artistic knowledge. In programs literary trends(since classicism) the concept of personality is fundamental. The view of the plot as the most important way of character development, its test and stimulus for development is also affirmed. The plot functions of the characters - in abstraction from their characters - became the subject of special analysis in some areas of literary studies of the 20th century. (formalist Propp, structuralists).

The basis of the objective world of epic and dramatic works is usually character system and the plot. Even in works main topic which is a person alone with wild nature, the character sphere, as a rule, is not limited to one hero (Robinson Crusoe, Mowgli) To form a system of characters, at least two subjects are needed, their equivalent can be character split, signifying various principles in a person, or transformation (Heart of a Dog), the complex dual plot in it essentially reveals one character. In the early stages of narrative art, the number of characters and connections between them were determined primarily by the logic of plot development (a single hero of a fairy tale required an antithesis, then a heroine as a reason for struggle, etc.) Here again about Propp with his seven invariants.

IN ancient Greek theater the number of actors simultaneously on stage increased gradually. Pre-Aeschylus tragedy - chorus and one actor, Aeschylus introduced two instead of one, reduced the chorus parts, Sophocles introduced three actors and scenery. Plot connections as a system-forming principle can be very complex and cover a huge number of characters (War and Peace).

However plot connection- not the only type of connection between characters; in literature it is usually not the main one. The character system is a certain ratio of characters. The author composes, builds a chain of events, guided by his hierarchy of characters depending on favorite topic. To understand the main thing problematic hero can play a big role minor characters, highlighting the various properties of his character, as a result a whole system of parallels and contrasts arises. (Oblomov: Stolts-Oblomov-Zakhar, Olga-Agafya Matveevna)

The thread that allows us to see the character system behind the characters is, first of all, creative concept, idea of a work, it is she who creates the unity of the most complex compositions. (Belinsky saw the connection between the five parts of the Hero of Our Time in one thought - in the psychological riddle of Pechorin’s character.)

Non-participation a character in the main action of a work is often a kind of sign of his importance as an exponent of public opinion, a symbol. (In the Thunderstorm, the plays Kuligin and Feklusha, who do not participate in the intrigue, are like two poles of the spiritual life of the city of Kalinov)

The principle of “economy” in building a character system is combined, if the content requires it, with the use doubles(two characters, but one type - Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky), collective images and corresponding crowd scenes, in general with the multi-heroic nature of the works.

In the lyrics the main focus is on revealing the experience of the lyrical subject. The object of experience of the lyrical subject is often his own self, in which case it is called lyrical hero(I survived my desires... Pushkin, I deeply despise myself for this... Nekrasov) such a narrow understanding of the lyrical hero, who is only one of the types lyrical subject entrenched in modern Litved. Yesenin's poem:

Swamps and swamps,

Blue board of heaven.

Coniferous gilding

The forest flutters.

It is without a lyrical hero: nature is described. But the choice of details, the nature of the tropes indicate that someone saw this picture. Everything is not just named, but also characterized. The object of perception and experience of the lyrical subject can be other subjects(Reflections at the front entrance.. Nekrasov. Stranger. Blok). By analogy with epic and drama, they can be called characters. G.N. Pospelov identifies a special type of lyricism - character, which in particular includes poetic messages, epigrams, madrigals, epitaphs, inscriptions for portraits, etc. however, the term character can be understood more broadly - as any person who falls into the zone of consciousness of the lyrical subject. There are heroes in the lyrics different types: unlike the lyrical hero, the characters are other “I”s, therefore, 2nd and 3rd person pronouns are used in relation to them. Plot lyric poems tend to have multiple characters (on railway Blok, Orina, soldier's mother. Nekrasov) Thus, the lyrics can be divided into characterless and character. Characters in lyric poetry are depicted differently than in epic and drama. There is no plot here, so characters are rarely revealed through actions and deeds. The main thing is the attitude of the lyrical subject to the character. Pushkin, I remember a wonderful moment: the image of the heroine was created with the help of metaphors, etc. words can be attributed to an ideal beloved in general, a specific image does not arise.

An important way of creating character images in lyrics is their nominations, which often characterize not so much the characters as the attitude towards them. subject. a distinction is made between primary nominations (names, nicknames, pronouns), which directly name the character, and secondary ones, indicating his qualities and attributes. Secondary can include words used in their direct meaning; tropical phrases are also secondary nominations. Nominations record permanent or situational characteristics of characters. Lyrics according to their original setting nameless. The lyrical hero does not need to call himself or any of the participants in the lyrical plot by name. This is why proper names are so rare in lyrics; even when using them, the author tries to include them in the title.

The question of character in lyrics remains debatable. In any case, it is created differently than in epic and drama. A poem is a small work in volume; it often only outlines a character, which is often revealed in a cycle of works. The poem may present character system(Block. About valor, about exploits, about glory), if the poem depicts characters united in a group based on a common characteristic, then collective image(in Stranger).

Analysis of characters in epic, lyric and drama reveals not only the differences, but also the similarities between literary genres.

The usual method of grouping and stringing together motives is to bring out characters, living carriers of certain motives. The attribution of a particular motif to a specific character facilitates the reader’s attention. The character is the guiding thread, making it possible to understand the accumulation of motives, an auxiliary tool for classifying and ordering individual motifs. On the other hand, there are techniques that help you understand the sheer mass of characters and their relationships.

The method of recognizing a character is his "characteristic"By characteristic we mean a system of motives inextricably linked with a given character. In a narrow sense, characterization refers to the motives that determine the psychology of a character, his “character.”

The simplest element of characterization is to call the hero by his own name. In elementary fabular forms, sometimes simply assigning a name to the hero, without any other characteristics (“abstract hero”), is enough to fix for him the actions necessary for fabular development. In more complex constructions, it is required that the hero’s actions follow from some psychological unity, so that they are psychologically probable for a given character ( psychological motivation for actions). In this case, the hero is rewarded with certain psychological traits.

Characteristics of the hero can be straight, i.e. his character is communicated directly either from the author, or in the speeches of other characters, or in the self-characterization (“confessions”) of the hero. Common indirect characterization: character emerges from the actions and behavior of the hero. A special case of indirect or suggestive characterization is taking masks, i.e. development of specific motives that are in harmony with the psychology of the character. So, description of the hero’s appearance, his clothing, the furnishings of his home(for example, Plyushkin in Gogol) - all these are mask techniques. Not only an external description, through visual representations (images), but also anything else can serve as a mask. The very name of the hero can serve as a mask. Comedy traditions are interesting in this regard. name masks. (“Pravdins”, “Milons”, “Starodums”, “Skalozubs”, “Gradoboevs”, etc.), almost all comedic names contain a characteristic. In characterization techniques, two main cases should be distinguished: unchanging character, remaining the same in the narrative throughout the plot, and character changing when, as the plot develops, we follow the change in the very character of the character. In the latter case, the elements of characterization are closely integrated into the plot, and the very change in character (the typical “repentance of the villain”) is already a change in the plot situation. On the other side, hero's vocabulary, the style of his speeches, the topics he touches on in conversation, can also serve as a hero’s mask.

Characters are usually subject to emotional coloring. In the most primitive forms we find virtuous and evildoers. Here, the emotional attitude towards the hero (sympathy or repulsion) is developed on a moral basis. Positive and negative “types” are a necessary element of plot construction. Attracting the reader's sympathies to the side of some and the repulsive characteristics of others evoke the reader's emotional participation ("experience") in the events presented, his personal interest in the fate of the heroes.

The character who receives the most acute and vivid emotional coloring is called a hero. The hero is the person whom the reader follows with the greatest tension and attention. The hero evokes compassion, empathy, joy and grief of the reader.

We should not forget that the emotional attitude towards the hero is given in the work. The author can attract sympathy for a hero whose character in everyday life could cause repulsion and disgust in the reader. The emotional attitude towards the hero is a fact of the artistic construction of the work.

This point was often missed by publicist-critics of the 60s of the 19th century, who assessed heroes from the point of view of the social usefulness of their character and ideology, taking the hero out of a work of art in which the emotional attitude towards the hero was predetermined. You have to read naively, being inspired by the author’s instructions. The stronger the author's talent, the more difficult it is to resist these emotional directives, the more more convincing work. This persuasiveness artistic word and serves as a source of appeal to it as a means of teaching and preaching.

The hero is not at all a necessary part of the plot. The plot as a system of motives can completely do without the hero and his characteristics. The hero appears as a result of the plot design of the material and is, on the one hand, a means of stringing together motives, on the other hand, as if embodied and personified by the motivation of the connection of motives. This is clear in an elementary narrative form - in an anecdote.

Lilia Chernets

Doctor of Philology,
Moscow state university named after M.V. Lomonosov,

Faculty of Philology, Department of Literary Theory, Professor

Literary characters

IN art world epic, dramatic, lyric epic works always have a system of characters - subjects of action, whose relationships the reader follows. In epic and lyric epic, the narrator can also be a character if he participates in the plot (Nikolenka Irtenyev in “Childhood”, “Adolescence” and “Youth” by L.N. Tolstoy; Arkady Dolgoruky in the novel “Teenager” by F.M. Dostoevsky); in such cases, the narration is usually told in the first person, and the narrator is usually called the narrator.

Synonyms for character in modern literary criticism are literary hero, character (mainly in drama). In this series, the word character is semantically the most neutral. Its etymology (French personnage, from Latin persona - person, face, mask) recalls the conventions of art - about acting masks in ancient theater, while the hero (from Greek herds - demigod, deified person) is called real person who showed courage and accomplished a feat. This is the direct, basic meaning of this word. IN work of art For a long time, the hero was called the main positive character. The inertia of this understanding of the word prompted W. Thackeray to give his novel “Vanity Fair” (1848) the subtitle: “A Novel Without a Hero.”

A character is a type of artistic image, and the principles of the image can be different. The leading type of character in literature is, of course, a person, a human individual (from Latin: individuum - indivisible, individual). The greatest opportunities for creating a detailed image of a person are provided by the epic genre, where the narrator’s speech easily absorbs many descriptive and psychological details. The place of the hero in the system of characters is significant. Secondary and episodic persons are often represented by a few features and are used as compositional “braces”. So, in the story by A.S. Pushkin " Stationmaster“Around the main character, Samson Vyrin, there are episodic persons: the doctor who confirmed Minsky’s illness; the coachman who was carrying Minsky and Dunya and testified that “Dunya cried all the way, although it seemed that she was driving of her own accord”; Minsky's military lackey in St. Petersburg, etc. In the finale, a “tattered boy, red-haired and crooked” appears - one of those with whom, shortly before his death, the caretaker “fiddled”, who never found out that he had grandchildren growing up in St. Petersburg. This character, highlighting Vyrin’s loneliness, at the same time performs a compositional function: he informs the narrator about the arrival of a “beautiful lady” at the station. This is how readers learn about Dunya’s fate and her late tears at her father’s grave.

However, other types of character are also used in literature, including fantastic images, which demonstrates the conventions of art and the writer’s “right” to fiction. Along with people, anthropomorphic characters, such as animals, can act and talk in a work. As a rule, the introduction of animal characters is a sign of one-sided typification. In the fable, moral qualities, mainly vices, are clearly distributed between the characters: the fox is cunning, the wolf is greedy, the donkey is stubborn, stupid, etc. Unlike myth, where the natural and the cultural are not yet differentiated (Zeus, for example, could turn into a bull or a swan), “in the fable, animals appear as creatures different from humans...<...>begin to duplicate human behavior, replacing it as a kind of conditional and, most importantly, generalizing, typing code”1. Based on fable and other traditions, an animal epic is created, where more complex characters are presented. These include the main character of “The Romance of the Fox” - a rogue inexhaustible in mischief, causing indignation and admiration at the same time.

Anthropomorphic characters can also be plants, things, robots, etc. (a, “Until the third roosters” by V.M. Shukshin, “Solaris” by St. Lem).

Characters in literary criticism are considered not only separate subjects (individuals), but also collective images(their archetype is the chorus in ancient drama). The image seems to be “assembled” from many faces, often nameless, represented by one feature, one remark; This is how crowd scenes are created. Here is a fragment from the story by N.V. Gogol's "Taras Bulba", which describes a crowded square in the Zaporozhye Sich. Taras and his sons are presented with a picturesque sight: “The travelers drove out to a vast square where the Rada usually gathered. A shirtless Zaporozhian sat on a large overturned barrel; he held it in his hands and slowly sewed up the holes in it. Their path was again blocked by a whole crowd of musicians, in the midst of whom a young Cossack was dancing, his cap twisted like a devil and his arms thrown up. He only shouted: “Play more lively, musicians! Do not be sorry, Thomas, burners for Orthodox Christians!” And Foma, with a black eye, handed out a huge mug to each person who pestered him. Near the young Zaporozhian, four old ones were working rather shallowly with their feet, throwing themselves up like a whirlwind to the side and almost on the heads of the musicians, and suddenly, dropping down, they squatted and beat the hard ground with their silver horseshoes steeply and firmly. The earth hummed dully throughout the entire area, and in the distance the hopaks and paths, knocked out by the ringing horseshoes of boots, echoed in the air. But one of them screamed out louder than everyone else and flew after the others in the dance. Chuprina was fluttering in the wind, her strong chest was all open; a warm winter jacket was worn in the sleeves, and sweat poured from him like a bucket. “At least take off the cover! - Taras finally said. “See how it soars!” - “It’s not possible!” - shouted the Cossack. “Why?” - “It’s not possible; I have such a disposition: I’ll drink whatever I lose.” And the young man had not had a hat on for a long time, nor a belt on his caftan, nor an embroidered scarf; everything went where it should. The crowd grew<...»>(Chapter II).
The element of unbridled fun and dashing dancing captures everyone who comes to the square, the Cossacks are united in the jubilation that engulfs them.

Along with the characters directly depicted in the work (for example, those participating in stage action in drama), we can distinguish off-stage characters who expand the spatio-temporal framework of the image and enlarge the situation (“The Misanthrope” by J.-B. Moliere, “Woe from Wit” by A.S. Griboedov, “Chairs” by E. Ionesco). The influence of such characters on the behavior of persons acting on stage can be very great. In “The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov’s mental fatigue and Ranevskaya’s helplessness are largely explained by the death of Grisha’s son “in this river,” as well as by letters coming from Paris. At first she tears them up, but at the end of the play she decides to return to her loved one, who, according to Petya Trofimov, “robbed” her. At the same time, he understands that he is going “to the bottom”: “This is a stone on my neck, I am going to the bottom with it, but I love this stone and cannot live without it” (d. 3).

We can talk about off-stage characters in relation not only to drama, but also to epic, where the analogue of the scene is a direct (i.e., given not in the retelling of some hero) image of faces. So, in the story of A.P. Chekhov’s “Vanka” on the stage of the work is a nine-year-old boy, apprenticed to the Moscow shoemaker Alyakhin and writing on the night before Christmas a letter “to the village of his grandfather,” Konstantin Makarych (as he, after thinking, writes on the envelope). All other persons, including Vanka’s grandfather, are off-stage.

Another type of literary hero is a borrowed character, i.e. taken from the works of other writers and usually bearing the same name. Such heroes are natural if the plot scheme is preserved, as in the tragedy of J. Racine “Phaedra”, created on the basis of the tragedies of Euripides “Hippolytus” and “Phaedra” by Seneca; or as in “The Stone Guest” by A.S. Pushkin (the plot scheme of this “little tragedy” goes back to the plays “The Mischief of Seville, or Stone Guest"by the Spanish playwright Tirso de Molina, "Don Juan, or the Stone Guest" by J.-B. Moliere. At the same time, in the named tragedies of Racine and Pushkin, the characters, recognizable by name and plot role, differ significantly in character from the heroes of the same name in previous plays.

But the hero known to the reader (and to the unknown ones in similar cases are not addressed) can be introduced into a new ensemble of characters, into a new plot. Borrowing a character in such cases, on the one hand, exposes the conventionality of art, on the other hand, it contributes to the semiotic richness of the image and its laconicism: after all, the names of “alien” heroes have become common nouns, the author does not need to characterize them in any way.
Of the Russian classics, M.E. especially often turned to this technique. Saltykov-Shchedrin (“In an environment of moderation and accuracy”, “Letters to my aunt”, “Modern idyll”, etc.). “...Take a literary hero, literary type past time and show it in the life of current days - this is Shchedrin’s favorite technique. His heroes in the 70-80s are the descendants of Khlestakov, Molchalin, Mitrofan Prostakov, who filled their entire lives with special force after 81.” (Gorky M. History of Russian literature. - M., 1939. - P. 273.). The freedom with which Shchedrin treats famous literary characters is striking. “Speculating” the biographies of the heroes, the satirist comes up with the most unexpected occupations and positions for them, but taking into account the conditions of the post-reform times. In “Letters to Auntie,” Nozdryov publishes and edits the newspaper “Pomoi,” where Repetilov runs the chronicle department; in “The Gentlemen of the Molchalins” (the cycle “In the midst of moderation and accuracy”) Molchalin recalls the ten-year directorship in the department of “State Insanity” of none other than Chatsky, who in Griboedov’s play was “sick to be served” (the satirist did not believe in the persistence of noble liberalism ). The writer establishes new, unpredictable family ties: in “The Silent Gentlemen” it turns out that Rudin is Repetilov’s nephew, and Sofya Famusova married Chatsky, and after his death, due to a legally illiterate will, she is forced to sue Zagoretsky, his “great-nephew.” » deceased. In the same work, new faces with an eloquent pedigree appear: lawyers Balalaikin - the bastard son of Repetilov (from Steshka the Gypsy) and Podkovyrnik-Klesch - the bastard son of Chichikov (from Korobochka). Behind all this play of imagination, the verdict that Shchedrin makes on his modernity, where the field of comic heroes Griboedov and Gogol has greatly expanded, is obvious. As one character noted, “It’s amazing how fast people grow these days! Well, what was Nozdryov when Gogol introduced us to him, and look how he... suddenly grew up!!” (“Letters to my aunt.” Letter 12).

In works depicting the hero’s split consciousness, his phantom double (from the Greek fantasma - ghost) may appear, in which he - with horror or joy - recognizes his bodily and/or spiritual likeness. Such, for example, are Golyadkin Jr. in Dostoevsky’s story “The Double”, the Black Monk in Chekhov’s story of the same name (this monk, who flatters Kovrin, referring him to “God’s chosen ones,” is seen only by someone mentally ill main character). Close to this technique is very ancient plot motive transformation (metamorphosis) of a character, sharply violating the “life-likeness” of the image: “The Invisible Man” by H. Wells, “The Bedbug” by V.V. Mayakovsky, “Heart of a Dog” by M.A. Bulgakov.
The identified types of character, or stable methods of depiction, of course, do not exhaust artistic practice.

A character is usually endowed with a certain character (from the Greek character - imprint, mark, mark, distinctive feature). Character and character are not identical concepts, which was noted by Aristotle: “A character will have character if... in speech or action he reveals any direction of the will, whatever it may be...”3. The hero's performance of one or another plot-compositional function does not yet make him a character. Thus, it is not always possible to find a certain character in the “messengers” ancient tragedies, whose task is to carry out the assignment, convey the news, but not evaluate it.

By character we mean socially significant traits that manifest themselves with sufficient clarity in the behavior and state of mind of the hero; the combination of these traits forms his individuality and distinguishes him from other heroes. Character can be one-sided or multi-sided, integral or contradictory, static or developing, arousing respect or contempt, etc. As noted above, there is a correlation between portrayal techniques and characters. Their one-sidedness is obvious in the fable's animal characters. The dominant trait in a character’s behavior is often indicated by “speaking” names. This tradition dates back to Greco-Roman antiquity, where such names along with the mask (Yarho V.N. According to the surviving list of masks used in ancient comedy, “there were forty-four in total, and among them nine masks for the roles of old people, eleven for young people, seven for slaves, fourteen for women” (Yarkho V.N. Menander. At the origins of European comedy. - M., 2004. - P. 111)), which the actor wore, created a very specific horizon in the minds of the viewer expectations.

In comic genres, this technique has proven to be very stable. For example, already on the list characters The relationship of characters and conflict in V.V.’s comedy are clear. Kapnist “Yabeda” (1798): Pryamikov and Dobrov are opposed by Pravolov (i.e., the one who catches the law), members of the Civil Chamber of Krivosudov, Atuev, Bulbulkin, secretary Kokhtin, prosecutor Khvataiko.

For a long time in literature, the character of the main character and the methods of depicting him were determined by the genre. In the high genres of classicism, heroes must be noble and moral qualities, and by origin, but at the same time maintaining its individuality. Character was thought of as static. As N. Boileau instructed:

A hero in whom everything is petty is only suitable for a novel.
Let him be brave, noble,
But still, without weaknesses, no one likes him:
The hot-tempered, impetuous Achilles is dear to us;
He cries from insults - a useful detail,
So that we believe in its credibility;
Agamemnon's character is arrogant and proud;
Aeneas is pious and firm in the faith of his ancestors.
Skilfully preserve for your hero
Character traits among any events.

As we see, a model for a theorist French classicism serves ancient literature(epic, tragedy). Boileau speaks ironically about the novel; the heyday of this genre has not yet come.

The depiction of internal contradictions, the complex, often dual nature of man became programmatic in the era of romanticism and was inherited by realism. In the stories of R. Chateaubriand “Atala” (1801) and “Rene” (1802), the novels “Adolphe” by B. Constant (1816), “Eugene Onegin” (1831) by Pushkin, “Confession of the Son of the Century” by A. de Musset (1836 ), “Hero of Our Time” (1840) by M.Yu. Lermontov, in the poem by J.G. Byron's "Don Juan" (1817-1823) the main characters are contradictory individuals, reflecting on their own character and its oddities, experiencing moral ups and downs. All of them are united by a feeling of disappointment, dissatisfaction with life. The characters' characters, as a rule, are shown in development, and not necessarily positive; so, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in “The Golovlev Gentlemen”, O. Wilde in the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” portray moral degradation your hero.

L.N. Tolstoy reflects on the fluidity of a person’s character in the novel “Resurrection”: “People are like rivers: the water is the same in everyone and the same everywhere, but every river is sometimes narrow, sometimes fast, sometimes wide, sometimes quiet, sometimes clean. , sometimes cold, sometimes cloudy, sometimes warm. So are people. Each person carries within himself the rudiments of all human properties and sometimes displays some, sometimes others, and is often completely unlike himself, remaining at the same time the same as himself. For some people these changes are especially dramatic. And Nekhlyudov belonged to such people” (Part 1. Chapter LIX).

The title of the novel is symbolic: its main characters, Dmitry Nekhlyudov and Katyusha Maslova, after many trials come to moral resurrection.

In literature focused on the embodiment of characters (and this is what the classics are), the latter are the subject of reflection, debate among readers and critics (Bazarov in the assessment of M.A. Antonovich, D.I. Pisarev and N.N. Strakhov; Katerina Kabanova in the interpretation N.A. Dobrolyubova, P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, D.I. Critics see different characters in the same character.

Clarification of characters and the corresponding grouping of persons is an act not of describing the world of a work, but of its interpretation. The number of characters and characters in a work usually does not coincide: there are much more characters. There are persons who have no character and act as plot springs; there are characters of the same type: Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky in Gogol’s “The Inspector General”; Berkutov and Glafira, forming a contrasting couple in relation to Kupavina and Lynyaev, in the comedy “Wolves and Sheep” by Ostrovsky.
A character as a character, on the one hand, and as an image, on the other, have different evaluation criteria. Unlike characters who are subject to “judgment” in the light of certain ethical ideals, images are evaluated primarily from an aesthetic point of view, i.e. depending on how brightly and fully the creative concept is expressed in them. As images, Chichikov or Judushka Golovlev are excellent and, as such, provide aesthetic pleasure. But only in this capacity.

Another important concept widely used in the study of the character sphere of works is literary type (Greek typos - blow, imprint). It is often used as a synonym for character. However, it is advisable to differentiate the meanings of these terms.

Researchers sometimes use the word “type” to designate characters that are one-sided in nature, static, and created primarily in the early stages of the development of art. So, L.Ya. Ginzburg points to “traditional formulas (roles, masks, types)” that help “pre-realistic identification of the hero” (Ginsburg L.Ya. About the literary hero. - L., 1979 - P. 75.). With this interpretation, the word type as applied to later literature, with its complex, ambiguous characters, turns out to be an insufficiently subtle instrument. But the concept of type is also used in another meaning: as the basis for a typology of characters, each of which has an individual, unique character. In other words, a number of heroes should be classified as a type: their individualization does not interfere with seeing common features, it demonstrates the variety of variants of the type, which acts as an invariant (For more detail on the relationship between the concepts of “type” and “character” see: Chernets L.V. Characteristic sphere of literary works: concepts and terms // Artistic anthropology: Theoretical and historical-literary aspects / ed. M.L. Kling, A.Ya. 22-35.).

So, to the tyrants in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky includes the “scold” Dikaya, who is organically incapable of paying workers fairly and in a timely manner (“Thunderstorm”), and Tit Titych Bruskov, to whom drunken courage is more valuable than money, he is ready to pay for any of his disgrace (“At someone else’s feast there is a hangover”), and the indifferent to the daughter of Bolynov (“We’ll be our own people!”), for whom the main thing is to insist on his own (“For whom I command, he will go for him”), and even the child-loving Rusakov (“Don’t sit in your own sleigh”). And in the playwright’s later plays one can trace the formation of the type of “business man” who contrasts “smart” money with “mad” money, outwardly polite, but calculating and steadily pursuing his selfish goals: Vasilkov (“Mad Money”), Berkutov (“Wolves and Sheep” ), General Gnevyshev (“Rich Brides”), Pribytkov (“The Last Victim”), Knurov and Vozhevatov (“Dowry”). Each of these heroes is an individual, a living face, a rewarding role for an actor. And yet they can be combined into one group.

This understanding of type is particularly consistent with aesthetic views and creativity writers of the 19th century century - the time of creation of the most profound, multifaceted characters. The sign of the type is its stable nomination: an extra person (“The Diary of an Extra Man” by I.S. Turgenev), a tyrant (thanks to N.A. Dobrolyubov’s article “The Dark Kingdom”, this word from the play “At Someone Else’s Feast a Hangover” became widely known), underground man(“Notes from the Underground” by F.M. Dostoevsky), new people (“What to do? From stories about new people” by N.G. Chernyshevsky), a repentant nobleman (as the critic N.K. Mikhailovsky called the autopsychological heroes of L.N. Tolstoy). Introduced by the writer himself or the critic - his interpreter, these nominations have become entrenched in literary tradition and apply to a whole gallery of characters. The type nomination is also given name hero, if it has become a household name: Faust, Don Juan, Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Molchalin, Chichikov, Bazarov.

The long life of types in literature (its indicator is the very frequency of the corresponding nominations in different contexts) is explained by the scale, the high measure of universality in artistic discovery. Addressing the reader, the author “ Dead souls" prompts him to think: "... and which of you, full of Christian humility, quietly, in silence, alone, in moments of solitary conversations with yourself, will deepen this difficult question into the interior of your soul: “Isn’t there some kind of “Any parts of Chichikov?”” (chapter 11).
Characters, especially in the work of one writer, are often variations, the development of one type. Writers return to the type they discovered, finding new facets in it, achieving aesthetic perfection of the image. P.V. Annenkov noted that I.S. Turgenev “for ten years was engaged in processing the same type - a noble, but inept person, starting in 1846, when “Three Portraits” were written, right up to “Rudin”, which appeared in 1856, where the very image of such a person was found its full embodiment" (Annenkov P.V. Literary Memoirs. - M., 1989. - P. 364.). A modern researcher defines the superfluous person as “a socio-psychological type embodied in Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century V.; its main features are alienation from official Russia, from its native environment (usually noble), a sense of intellectual and moral superiority over it and at the same time - mental fatigue, deep skepticism, discord between word and deed" (Mann Yu.V. The Extra Man / / Literary encyclopedic dictionary. - M., 1987. - P. 204.). This type includes heroes from the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, A.I. Herzen, preceding the appearance of Chulkaturin (the main character of Turgenev’s “The Diary of an Extra Man”): Onegin, Pechorin, Beltov. After the “Diary...” Turgenev creates images of Rudin, Lavretsky and others. As a result, a gallery appears extra people, representing the type in development. You can distinguish groups in it, one of them is Turgenev’s heroes.

In literary criticism, there is another way to study a character - exclusively as a participant in the plot, as a character. In relation to archaic genres of folklore, in particular to Russian fairy tale(discussed by V.Ya. Propp in his book “The Morphology of the Fairy Tale,” 1928), to the early stages of the development of literature, such an approach is to one degree or another motivated by the material: there are no characters as such yet or they are less important than the action.

With the formation of personality, it is characters that become the main subject of artistic knowledge. In literature programs, the concept of personality plays a leading role. The view of the plot as the most important way of revealing character, as the motivation for its development, is also affirmed in aesthetics. “A person’s character can be revealed in the most insignificant actions; from the point of view of poetic evaluation, the greatest deeds are those that shed the most light on the character of a person” (Lessing G.E. Hamburg Drama. - M.; Leningrad, 1936. - P. 38-39.). Many writers, critics, and aestheticians could subscribe to these words of the great German educator.

"Russian language and literature for schoolchildren". – 2013. - No. 1. – P. 3-14.

Who is a literary character? We devote our article to this issue. In it we will tell you where this name came from, what literary characters and images are, and how to describe them in literature lessons according to your desire or the teacher’s request.

Also from our article you will learn what an “eternal” image is and what images are called eternal.

Literary hero or character. Who is this?

We often hear the concept of “literary character”. But few can explain what we are talking about. And even schoolchildren who have recently returned from a literature lesson often find it difficult to answer the question. What is this mysterious word “character”?

It came to us from ancient Latin (persona, personnage). The meaning is “personality”, “person”, “person”.

So, a literary character is a character. We are mainly talking about prose genres, since images in poetry are usually called “lyrical hero”.

It is impossible to write a story or poem, novel or story without characters. Otherwise, it will be a meaningless collection of, if not words, then perhaps events. The heroes are people and animals, mythological and fantastic creatures, inanimate objects, for example, Andersen's steadfast tin soldier, historical figures and even entire nations.

Classification of literary heroes

They can confuse any literature connoisseur with their quantity. And it’s especially hard for secondary school students. And especially because they prefer to play their favorite game instead of doing homework. How to classify heroes if a teacher or, even worse, an examiner demands it?

The most win-win option: classify the characters according to their importance in the work. According to this criterion, literary heroes are divided into main and secondary. Without the main character, the work and its plot will be a collection of words. But in case of loss minor characters we will lose a certain branch storyline or expressiveness of events. But overall the work will not suffer.

The second classification option is more limited and is suitable not for all works, but for fairy tales and fantasy genres. This is the division of heroes into positive and negative. For example, in the fairy tale about Cinderella, poor Cinderella herself is a positive hero, she evokes pleasant emotions, you sympathize with her. But the sisters and the evil stepmother are clearly heroes of a completely different type.

Characteristics. How to write?

Heroes of literary works sometimes (especially in a literature lesson at school) need a detailed description. But how to write it? The option “once upon a time there was such a hero. He is from a fairy tale about this and that” is clearly not suitable if the assessment is important. We will share with you a win-win option for writing a characterization of a literary (and any other) hero. We offer you a plan with brief explanations of what and how to write.

Introduction. Name the work and the character you will talk about. Here you can add why exactly you want to describe it.
The place of the hero in the story (novel, story, etc.). Here you can write whether he is major or minor, positive or negative, a person or a mythical or historical figure.
Appearance. It would not be amiss to include quotes, which will show you as an attentive reader, and will also add volume to your description.
Character. Everything is clear here.
Actions and their characteristics in your opinion.
Conclusions.

That's all. Keep this plan for yourself, and it will come in handy more than once.

Famous literary characters

Although the very concept of a literary hero may seem completely unfamiliar to you, if you tell you the name of the hero, you will most likely remember a lot. This is especially true famous characters literature, for example, such as Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, Sherlock Holmes or Robin Hood, Assol or Cinderella, Alice or Pippi Longstocking.

Such heroes are called famous literary characters. These names are familiar to children and adults from many countries and even continents. Not knowing them is a sign of narrow-mindedness and lack of education. Therefore, if you don’t have time to read the work itself, ask someone to tell you about these characters.

The concept of image in literature

Along with character, you can often hear the concept of “image”. What is this? Same as the hero or not? The answer will be both positive and negative, because a literary character may well be literary way, but the image itself does not have to be a character.

We often call this or that hero an image, but nature can appear in the same image in a work. And then the topic of the examination paper can be “the image of nature in the story...”. What to do in this case? The answer is in the question itself: if we are talking about nature, you need to characterize its place in the work. Start with a description, add character elements, for example, “the sky was gloomy,” “the sun was mercilessly hot,” “the night was frightening with its darkness,” and the characterization is ready. Well, if you need a description of the hero’s image, then how to write it, see the plan and tips above.

What are the images?

Our next question. Here we will highlight several classifications. Above we looked at one - images of heroes, that is, people/animals/mythical creatures and images of nature, images of peoples and states.

Also, images can be so-called “eternal”. What is an "eternal image"? This concept names a hero created once by an author or folklore. But he was so “characteristic” and special that after years and eras, other authors write their characters from him, perhaps giving them different names, but without changing the essence. Such heroes include the fighter Don Quixote, the hero-lover Don Juan and many others.

Unfortunately, modern fantasy characters they don’t become eternal, despite the love of the fans. Why? What's better than this funny Don Quixote of Spider-Man, for example? It's difficult to explain this in a nutshell. Only reading the book will give you the answer.

The concept of "closeness" of the hero, or My favorite character

Sometimes the hero of a work or movie becomes so close and loved that we try to imitate him, to be like him. This happens for a reason, and it’s not for nothing that the choice falls on this character. Often a favorite hero becomes an image that somehow resembles ourselves. Perhaps the similarity is in character, or in the experiences of both the hero and you. Or this character is in a situation similar to yours, and you understand and sympathize with him. In any case, it's not bad. The main thing is that you imitate only worthy heroes. And there are plenty of them in the literature. We wish you to meet only with good heroes and imitate only the positive traits of their character.

1. The meaning of the terms “hero”, “character”

2. Character and character

3. The structure of a literary hero

4. Character system

1. The meaning of the terms “hero”, “character”

The word "hero" has rich history. Translated from Greek, “heros” means demigod, deified person. In pre-Homeric times (X-IX centuries BC) heroes in Ancient Greece the children of a god and a mortal woman or a mortal and a goddess were called (Hercules, Dionysus, Achilles, Aeneas, etc.). Heroes were worshiped, poems were written in their honor, and temples were erected for them. The right to the hero's name gave the advantage of clan and origin. The hero served as an intermediary between the earth and Olympus, he helped people comprehend the will of the gods, and sometimes he himself acquired the miraculous functions of a deity.

Such a function, for example, gets beautiful Elena in the ancient Greek temple legend-tale about the healing of the daughter of a friend of Ariston, the king of the Spartans. This nameless friend of the king, as the legend tells, had a very beautiful wife, who was very ugly in infancy. The nurse often carried the girl to the temple of Helen and prayed to the goddess to save the girl from deformity (Elena had her own temple in Sparta). And Elena came and helped the girl.

In the era of Homer (8th century BC) and up to the literature of the 5th century BC. inclusively, the word “hero” is filled with a different meaning. It is no longer only the descendant of the gods who turns into a hero. Any mortal who has achieved outstanding success in earthly life becomes one; any person who has made a name for himself in the field of war, morality, and travel. Such are the heroes of Homer (Menelaus, Patroclus, Penelope, Odysseus), such are Theseus of Bacchylides. The authors call these people “heroes” because they became famous for certain exploits and thereby went beyond the historical and geographical.

Finally, starting from the 5th century BC, not only an outstanding person, but any “husband”, both “noble” and “worthless”, who finds himself in the world of a literary work, turns into a hero. A craftsman, a messenger, a servant and even a slave also act as a hero. Aristotle scientifically substantiates such a reduction and desacralization of the hero’s image. In “Poetics” there is a chapter “Parts of tragedy. Heroes of tragedy" - he notes that the hero may no longer be distinguished by "(special) virtue and justice." He becomes a hero simply by falling into tragedy and experiencing the “terrible”.

In literary criticism, the meaning of the term “hero” is very ambiguous. Historically, this meaning grows from the meanings indicated above. However, in theoretical terms, it reveals a new, transformed content, which can be read on several semantic levels: artistic reality works, literature itself and ontology as a science of being.

In the artistic world of creation, a hero is any person endowed with appearance and internal content. This is not a passive observer, but an actant, a person actually acting in the work (translated from Latin, “actant” means “acting”). The hero in the work necessarily creates something, protects someone. Main task the hero at this level is the mastery and transformation of poetic reality, the construction of artistic meaning. At the general literary level, a hero is an artistic image of a person who summarizes the most characteristic features reality; living through repeated patterns of existence. In this regard, the hero is the bearer of certain ideological principles and expresses the author’s intention. It models a special imprint of existence, becomes the seal of the era. A classic example is Lermontov’s Pechorin, “the hero of our time.” Finally, at the ontological level, the hero forms special way knowledge of the world. He must bring the truth to people, acquaint them with the diversity of forms human life. In this regard, the hero is a spiritual guide, leading the reader through all circles of human life and showing the path to the truth, God. Such is Virgil D. Alighieri (“ Divine Comedy"), Faust I. Goethe, Ivan Flyagin N.S. Leskova (“The Enchanted Wanderer”) etc.

The term “hero” is often used adjacent to the term “character” (sometimes these words are understood as synonyms). The word "character" is of French origin, but has Latin roots. Translated from Latin language“regzopa” is a person, a face, a guise. The ancient Romans called a “persona” the mask that an actor put on before a performance: tragic or comic. In literary criticism, a character is a subject literary action, statements in the work. The character represents the social appearance of a person, his external, sensually perceived person.

However, a hero and a character are far from the same thing. The hero is something holistic, complete; character is partial, requiring explanation. The hero embodies an eternal idea and is destined for higher spiritual and practical activity; the character simply denotes the presence of a person; “works” as a statistician. The hero is an actor in a mask, and the character is only a mask.

2. Character and character

A character easily turns into a hero if it receives an individual, personal dimension or character. According to Aristotle, character refers to the manifestation of the direction of “the will, whatever it may be.”

In modern literary criticism, character is the unique individuality of a character; his inner appearance; that is, everything that makes a person a person, that distinguishes him from other people. In other words, the character is the very actor who plays behind the mask - the character. At the heart of character is the inner “I” of a person, his self. Character reveals the image of the soul with all its searches and mistakes, hopes and disappointments. It denotes the versatility of human individuality; reveals her moral and spiritual potential.

Character can be simple or complex. A simple character is distinguished by integrity and staticity. He endows the hero with an unshakable set of value guidelines; makes it either positive or negative. Positive and negative heroes usually divide the system of characters in a work into two warring factions. For example: patriots and aggressors in the tragedy of Aeschylus (“Persians”); Russians and foreigners (English) in the story by N.S. Leskova “Lefty”; “last” and “sets” in the story by A.G. Malyshkina "The Fall of Dire".

Simple characters are traditionally combined into pairs, most often on the basis of opposition (Shvabrin - Grinev in “ The captain's daughter» A.S. Pushkin, Javert - Bishop Miriel in “Les Miserables” by V. Hugo). Contrast sharpens the virtues goodies and belittles the merits of negative heroes. It arises not only on an ethical basis. It is also formed by philosophical oppositions (such is the confrontation between Joseph Knecht and Plinio Designori in G. Hesse’s novel “The Glass Bead Game”).

Complex character manifests itself in a constant search, internal evolution. It expresses the diversity of the individual’s mental life. It reveals both the brightest, highest aspirations of the human soul, and its darkest, basest impulses. A complex character lays, on the one hand, the prerequisites for human degradation (“Ionych” by A.P. Chekhov); on the other hand, the possibility of his future transformation and salvation. It is very difficult to define a complex character in the dyad of “positive” and “negative”. As a rule, it stands between these terms or, more precisely, above them. The paradox and contradictoriness of life thickens in it; all the most mysterious and strange things that make up a person’s secret are concentrated. These are the heroes of F.M. Dostoevsky R. Musil, A. Strindberg and others.

3. The structure of a literary hero

Literary hero– a complex, multifaceted person. He can live in several dimensions at once: objective, subjective, divine, demonic, bookish (Master M.A. Bulgakova). However, in his relationships with society, nature, other people (everything that is opposite to his personality), a literary hero is always binary. He receives two appearances: internal and external. He follows two paths: introverting and extroverting. In the aspect of introversion, the hero is a “thinking in advance” (we will use the eloquent terminology of C. G. Jung) Prometheus. He lives in a world of feelings, dreams, dreams. In the aspect of extraversion, the literary hero is “acting and then thinking” Epitheus. He lives in real world for the sake of its active development.

To create appearance The hero is “worked” by his portrait, profession, age, history (or past). The portrait gives the hero a face and figure; teaches him a complex distinctive features(fatness, thinness in A.P. Chekhov’s story “Fat and Thin”) and bright, recognizable habits (the characteristic wound in the neck of partisan Levinson from A.I. Fadeev’s novel “Destruction”).

Very often, a portrait becomes a means of psychologization and indicates certain character traits. As, for example, in the famous portrait of Pechorin, given through the eyes of the narrator, a certain traveling officer: “He (Pechorin - P.K.) was of average height; his slender, thin frame and broad shoulders proved a strong build, capable of enduring all difficulties nomadic life <…>. His gait was careless and lazy, but I noticed that he did not wave his arms - a sure sign of a secretive character.

The hero's profession, vocation, age, and history pedal the process of socialization. Profession and vocation give the hero the right to socially useful activities. Age determines the potential for certain actions. The story about his past, parents, country and place where he lives gives the hero sensually tangible realism and historical specificity.

The internal appearance of the hero consists of his worldview, ethical beliefs, thoughts, attachments, faith, statements and actions. Worldview and ethical beliefs provide the hero with the necessary ontological and value guidelines; give meaning to his existence. Attachments and thoughts outline the diverse life of the soul. Faith (or the lack thereof) determines the presence of the hero in the spiritual field, his attitude towards God and the Church (in the literature of Christian countries). Actions and statements indicate the results of the interaction of soul and spirit.

In modern literary criticism, character is the unique individuality of a character; his inner appearance; that is, everything that makes a person a person, that distinguishes him from other people. In other words, the character is the same actor who plays behind the mask - the character. At the heart of character is the inner “I” of a person, his self. Character reveals the image of the soul with all its searches and mistakes, hopes and disappointments. It denotes the versatility of human individuality; reveals her moral and spiritual potential.

Simple characters are traditionally combined into pairs, most often on the basis of opposition (Shvabrin - Grinev in “The Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin, Javert - Bishop Miriel in “Les Miserables” by V. Hugo). The contrast accentuates the merits of positive heroes and diminishes the merits of negative heroes. It arises not only on an ethical basis. It is also formed by philosophical oppositions (such is the confrontation between Joseph Knecht and Plinio Designori in G. Hesse’s novel “The Glass Bead Game”).

A complex character manifests itself in a constant search and internal evolution. It expresses the diversity of the individual’s mental life. It reveals both the brightest, highest aspirations of the human soul, and its darkest, basest impulses. A complex character lays, on the one hand, the prerequisites for human degradation (“Ionych” by A.P. Chekhov); on the other hand, the possibility of his future transformation and salvation. It is very difficult to define a complex character in the dyad of “positive” and “negative”. As a rule, it stands between these terms or, more precisely, above them. The paradox and contradictoriness of life thickens in it; all the most mysterious and strange things that make up a person’s secret are concentrated. These are the heroes of F.M. Dostoevsky R. Musil, A. Strindberg and others.

The structure of a literary hero

A literary hero is a complex, multifaceted person. He can live in several dimensions at once: objective, subjective, divine, demonic, bookish (Master M.A. Bulgakova). However, in his relationships with society, nature, other people (everything that is opposite to his personality), a literary hero is always binary. He receives two appearances: internal and external. He follows two paths: introverting and extroverting. In the aspect of introversion, the hero is a “thinking in advance” (we will use the eloquent terminology of C. G. Jung) Prometheus. He lives in a world of feelings, dreams, dreams. In the aspect of extra-version, the literary hero is “acting and then thinking” Epitheus. He lives in the real world for the sake of actively exploring it.

To create the external appearance of the hero, his portrait, profession, age, history (or past) “works”. The portrait gives the hero a face and figure; teaches him a complex of distinctive features (fatness, thinness in A.P. Chekhov’s story “Fat and Thin”) and bright, recognizable habits (the characteristic wound in the neck of partisan Levinson from A.I. Fadeev’s novel “Destruction”).

Very often, a portrait becomes a means of psychologization and indicates certain character traits. As, for example, in the famous portrait of Pechorin, given through the eyes of the narrator, a certain traveling officer: “He (Pechorin - P.K.) was of average height; his slender, thin frame and broad shoulders proved a strong build, capable of enduring all the difficulties of nomadic life<…>. His gait was careless and lazy, but I noticed that he did not wave his arms - a sure sign of a secretive character.

A very important role in depicting the inner appearance of the hero is played by his consciousness and self-awareness. The hero can not only reason and love, but also be aware of emotions, analyze his own activities, that is, reflect. Artistic reflection allows the writer to identify the hero’s personal self-esteem; characterize his attitude towards himself.

The individuality of the literary hero is reflected especially clearly in his name. The existence of a hero in a literary work begins with the choice of a name. The name condenses his inner life and shapes his mental processes. The name gives the key to a person’s character and crystallizes certain personality traits.

So, for example, the name “Erast”, derived from the word “eros”, is hinted at in the story by N.M. Karamzin on the sensitivity, passion and immorality of Liza’s chosen one. The name “Marina” in Tsvetaeva’s famous poem recreates the variability and inconstancy of the lyrical heroine, who is like “sea foam.” But the beautiful name “Assol”, invented by A. Green, reflects the musicality and inner harmony of Longren’s daughter.

As part of philosophy (according to Father Pavel Florensky), “names are the essence of categories of personal knowledge.” Names are not just named, but actually declare the spiritual and physical essence of a person. They form special models of personal existence, which become common to each bearer of a certain name. Names predetermine a person’s spiritual qualities, actions and even fate. So, conventionally, all Annas have something in common and typical in grace; all Sophia is in wisdom; all of Anastasia is in resurrection.

In literature, the name of the hero is also a spiritual norm of personal existence; a stable type of life that deeply generalizes reality. The name correlates its external, sound-letter style with the internal, deep meaning; predetermines the actions and character of the hero, unfolds his existence. The hero is revealed in close connection with general idea and the image of your name. Such is the “poor”, unfortunate Liza, Natasha Rostova, Masha Mironova. Each personal name here is a special literary type, a universal way of life, characteristic only of this particular name. For example, the path

Lisa is the path of a quiet, touching rebellion against moral standards, against God (although Elizabeth is a “God-honorer”). Natalia's path is the path of simple natural attractions that are beautiful in their naturalness. The path of Mary is the path of the “golden mean”: the path of a serving mistress, combining both majesty and humility.

In other words, the name transforms the “life” of a literary hero and determines the latter’s way of moving in the sea of life.

A vivid illustration of the philosophy of P.A. Florensky presents the plot of the story by A.N. Nekrasov "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel". The yacht "Pobeda" with the famous captain (Vrungel) goes to international regatta, organized by the Enland Club. Vrungel shows strong confidence in victory and is indeed the first to reach the finish line. But victory comes at a high price. The new name (the first two letters fall off at the beginning of the voyage and turn the yacht into “Trouble”) assigns the ship the status of doomed. "Trouble" goes to victory through ebbs and flows, fires and icebergs. She is detained by the regatta regulations, customs police, crocodiles and sperm whales. It is under attack by the NATO navy and organized crime. And all thanks to the middle name.