Literary hero and character. Images and characters

Literature: L.Ya. Ginzburg "About a Literary Hero". M., 1979.

With a literary hero, the writer expresses his understanding of a person, taken from a certain point of view in the interaction of features selected by the writer. In this sense, a literary hero models a person. Like any aesthetic phenomenon, a person depicted in literature is not an abstraction, but a concrete unity. But a unity that is not reducible to a particular, isolated case (as a person may be in a chronicle narrative), a unity that has an expanding, symbolic meaning, and is therefore capable of representing an idea. The writer models a certain complex of ideas about man (ethical-philosophical, social, cultural-historical, biological, psychological, linguistic). Literary tradition, inherited narrative forms and the individual intention of the author build an artistic image of a person from this complex.

As in life, when reading a work of art, we instantly attribute an unfamiliar character to one or another social, psychological, everyday category: this is a condition for a person’s communication with the character. There are physical recognition formulas (red-haired, fat, lanky), social formulas (man, merchant, artisan, nobleman), moral and psychological (good-natured, merry fellow, miser).

A completely literary hero is known retrospectively. But character is not only the result: artistic value arises in the process of reading itself (the acuity of the first reading).

The very first meeting should be marked by recognition, a certain instantly emerging concept (typological and psychological identification of the character). The exhibition presents the initial formula of character, which can either be destroyed or, on the contrary, be developed. The hero of an epic, a knightly novel, a courtly novel - a hero, a knight, an ideal young nobleman - they all express the norms and ideals of their environment, Byronic hero destroys them.

The Byronic hero is recognizable from the very first pages (Benjamin Constant "Adolph"). For example, the publisher met a man who was very silent and sad. His first phrase: “I don’t care whether I’m here or somewhere else,” speaks of romantic character hero.

Literary hero as a character

Any hero in a literary work is a character, but not every character is recognized as a hero. The word "hero" usually means the main thing actor, “the bearer of the main event” (M. Bakhtin) in a literary work, as well as a point of view on reality, on himself and other characters that is significant for the author-creator. That is, this is the other, whose consciousness and action express for the author the essence of the world he creates. Persons of the second plan are perceived as official, necessary not in themselves, but for illumination and understanding of the “persons of the first plan.” The reader can argue with the characters, since in the process of reading there is a feeling of full rights and special independence of the hero (Tatyana, who unexpectedly got married for the author).

How does a hero differ from other characters?

significance for the development of the plot (without his participation, the main plot events cannot take place);

the hero is the subject of statements that dominate the speech structure of the works.

A literary character is a series of successive appearances of one person within a given text. Throughout one text, the hero can appear in a variety of forms: mention of him in the speeches of other characters, the narration of the author or narrator about events related to the character, the depiction of his thoughts, experiences, speeches, appearance, scenes in which he takes part in words, gestures, actions, etc. That is, there is a mechanism for gradually increasing the image of the hero.

Repeating, more or less stable features form the properties of a character.

Copyright Competition -K2
The word "hero" ("heros" - Greek) means a demigod or deified person.
Among the ancient Greeks, heroes were either half-breeds (one of the parents is a god, the other is a human), or outstanding men who became famous for their deeds, for example, military exploits or travel. But, in any case, the title of hero gave a person a lot of advantages. They worshiped him and composed poems and other songs in his honor. Gradually, the concept of “hero” migrated to literature, where it has stuck to this day.
Now, in our understanding, a hero can be both a “noble man” and a “worthless man”, if he acts within the framework work of art.

The term “hero” is adjacent to the term “character”, and often these terms are perceived as synonyms.
Person in Ancient Rome they called the mask that the actor put on before the performance - tragic or comic.

A hero and a character are not the same thing.

A LITERARY HERO is an exponent of plot action that reveals the content of the work.

A CHARACTER is any character in a work.

The word “character” is characteristic in that it does not carry any additional meanings.
Take, for example, the term “actor.” It is immediately clear that it must act = perform actions, and then a whole bunch of heroes do not fit this definition. Starting from Papa Pippi Longstocking, the mythical sea captain, and ending with the people in “Boris Godunov”, who, as always, are “silent”.
The emotional and evaluative connotation of the term “hero” implies exclusively positive qualities = heroism\heroism. And then it will not fall under this definition yet more people. Well, how about, say, calling Chichikov or Gobsek a hero?
And so literary scholars are fighting with philologists - who should be called a “hero” and who a “character”?
Time will tell who will win. For now we will count in a simple way.

A hero is an important character for expressing the idea of ​​a work. And the characters are everyone else.

A little later we’ll talk about the character system in a work of fiction, we’ll talk about the main (heroes) and secondary (characters).

Now let's note a couple more definitions.

LYRICAL HERO
Concept lyrical hero was first formulated by Yu.N. Tynyanov in 1921 in relation to the work of A.A. Blok.
Lyrical hero - the image of a hero in lyrical work, experiences, feelings, thoughts which reflect the author’s worldview.
The lyrical hero is not an autobiographical image of the author.
You cannot say “lyrical character” - only “lyrical hero”.

THE IMAGE OF A HERO is an artistic generalization of human properties, character traits in the individual appearance of the hero.

LITERARY TYPE is a generalized image of human individuality, most characteristic of a certain social environment in certain time. It connects two sides - the individual (single) and the general.
Typical does not mean average. The type concentrates in itself everything that is most striking, characteristic of an entire group of people - social, national, age, etc. For example, the type of Turgenev girl or a lady of Balzac's age.

CHARACTER AND CHARACTER

IN modern literary criticism character is the unique individuality of a character, his inner appearance, that is, what distinguishes him from other people.

Character consists of diverse traits and qualities that are not combined by chance. Every character has a main, dominant trait.

Character can be simple or complex.
A simple character is distinguished by integrity and staticity. The hero is either positive or negative.
Simple characters are traditionally combined into pairs, most often based on the opposition “bad” - “good”. The contrast accentuates the merits of positive heroes and diminishes the merits of negative heroes. Example - Shvabrin and Grinev in “The Captain’s Daughter”
A complex character is the hero’s constant search for himself, the hero’s spiritual evolution, etc.
A complex character is very difficult to label as “positive” or “negative.” It contains inconsistency and paradox. Like Captain Zheglov, who almost sent poor Gruzdev to prison, but easily gave food cards to Sharapov’s neighbor.

STRUCTURE OF A LITERARY CHARACTER

A literary hero is a complex and multifaceted person. It has two appearances - external and internal.

To create appearance heroes work:

PORTRAIT. This face, figure, distinctive features physique (for example, Quasimodo’s hump or Karenin’s ears).

CLOTHING, which can also reflect certain character traits of the hero.

SPEECH, the features of which characterize the hero no less than his appearance.

AGE, which determines the potential possibility of certain actions.

PROFESSION, which shows the degree of socialization of the hero, determines his position in society.

LIFE STORY. Information about the origin of the hero, his parents/relatives, the country and place where he lives, gives the hero sensually tangible realism and historical specificity.

The internal appearance of the hero consists of:

WORLDVIEW AND ETHICAL BELIEF, which provide the hero with value guidelines, give meaning to his existence.

THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES that outline the diverse life of the hero’s soul.

FAITH (or lack thereof), which determines the presence of the hero in the spiritual field, his attitude towards God and the Church.

STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS, which indicate the results of the interaction of the soul and spirit of the hero.
The hero can not only reason, love, but also be aware of emotions, analyze own activities, that is, to reflect. Artistic reflection allows the author to identify the hero’s personal self-esteem and characterize his attitude towards himself.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

So, a character is a fictional animate person with a certain character and unique external characteristics. The author must come up with this data and convincingly convey it to the reader.
If the author does not do this, the reader perceives the character as cardboard and is not included in his experiences.

Character development is a rather labor-intensive process and requires skill.
Most effective way- this is to write down on a separate sheet of paper all the personality traits of your character that you want to present to the reader. Straight to point.
The first point is the hero’s appearance (fat, thin, blond, brunette, etc.). The second point is age. The third is education and profession.
Be sure to answer (first of all, to yourself) the following questions:
- how does the character relate to other people? (sociable\closed, sensitive\callous, respectful\rude)
- how does the character feel about his work? (hardworking/lazy, creative/routine, responsible/irresponsible, proactive/passive)
- How does the character feel about himself? (has a feeling self-esteem, self-critical, proud, modest, arrogant, vain, arrogant, touchy, shy, selfish)
- how does the character feel about his things? (neat/sloppy, careful with things/careless)
The selection of questions is not random. The answers to them will give a FULL picture of the character's personality.
It is better to write down the answers and keep them before your eyes throughout the entire work on the work.
What will it give? Even if in the work you do not mention ALL QUALITIES of a personality (for minor and episodic characters it is not rational to do this), then all the same, the author’s FULL understanding of his characters will be transmitted to the reader and will make their images three-dimensional.

ARTISTIC DETAIL plays a huge role in creating/revealing character images.

An artistic detail is a detail that the author has endowed with significant semantic and emotional load.
A bright detail replaces entire descriptive fragments, cuts off unnecessary details that obscure the essence of the matter.
An expressive, successfully found detail is evidence of the author’s skill.

I would especially like to note such a moment as CHOOSING A CHARACTER NAME.

According to Pavel Florensky, “names are the essence of categories of personal cognition.” 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 are predetermined spiritual qualities, actions and even the fate of a person.

The existence of a character in a work of fiction begins with the choice of his name. It is very important what you name your hero.
Compare the options for the name Anna - Anna, Anka, Anka, Nyura, Nyurka, Nyusha, Nyushka, Nyusya, Nyuska.
Each of the options crystallizes certain qualities personality, gives the key to character.
Once you have decided on a character name, don’t change it (unnecessarily) as you go along, as this can confuse the reader’s perception.
If in life you tend to call your friends and acquaintances diminutively and disparagingly (Svetka, Mashulya, Lenusik, Dimon), control your passion in writing. In a work of art, the use of such names must be justified. Numerous Vovkas and Tankas look terrible.

CHARACTER SYSTEM

A literary hero is a clearly individual person and at the same time clearly collective, that is, he is generated by the social environment and interpersonal relationships.

It is unlikely that your work will feature only one hero (although this has happened). In most cases, the character is at the intersection of three rays.
The first is friends, associates (friendly relationships).
The second is enemies, ill-wishers (hostile relations).
Third - others strangers(neutral relationship)
These three rays (and the people in them) create a strict hierarchical structure or CHARACTER SYSTEM.
Characters are divided by the degree of author's attention (or the frequency of depiction in the work), the purposes and functions that they perform.

Traditionally, there are main, secondary and episodic characters.

The MAIN CHARACTER(s) are always at the center of the work.
The main character actively masters and transforms artistic reality. His character (see above) predetermines events.

Axiom – main character must be bright, that is, its structure must be spelled out thoroughly, no spaces are allowed.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS are located, although next to the main character, but somewhat behind, in the background, so to speak, of the artistic depiction.
The characters and portraits of minor characters are rarely detailed, more often they appear dotted. These heroes help the main characters to open up and ensure the development of the action.

Axiom - a secondary character cannot be brighter than the main one.
Otherwise, he will pull the blanket over himself. An example from a related area. Film "Seventeen Moments of Spring". Remember the girl who pestered Stirlitz in one of the last episodes? (“They say about us mathematicians that we are terrible crackers.... But in love I am Einstein...”).
In the first edition of the film, the episode with her was much longer. Actress Inna Ulyanova was so good that she stole all the attention and distorted the scene. Let me remind you that there Stirlitz was supposed to receive important encryption from the center. However, no one remembered about the encryption; everyone reveled in the bright clownery of an EPISODIC (completely passable) character. Ulyanov, of course, is sorry, but director Lioznova completely accepted the right decision and cut this scene. An example to think about, though!

EPISODIC HEROES are on the periphery of the world of the work. They may have no character at all, acting as passive executors of the author's will. Their functions are purely official.

POSITIVE and NEGATIVE HEROES usually divide the system of characters in a work into two warring factions (“red” - “white”, “ours” - “fascists”).

The theory of dividing characters according to ARCHETYPES is interesting.

An archetype is a primary idea expressed in symbols and images and underlying everything.
That is, each character in the work should serve as a symbol of something.

According to the classics, there are seven archetypes in literature.
So, the main character could be:
- The protagonist – the one who “accelerates the action”, the real Hero.
- Antagonist – completely the opposite of the Hero. I mean, a Villain.
- Guardian, Sage, Mentor and Helper - those who assist the Protagonist

Minor characters are:
- A bosom friend – symbolizes support and faith in the Main Character.
- Skeptic - questions everything that happens
- Reasonable – makes decisions based solely on logic.
- Emotional – reacts only with emotions.

For example, Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.
The main character is undoubtedly Harry Potter himself. He is opposed by the Villain - Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore=Sage appears periodically.
And Harry's friends are the reasonable Hermione and the emotional Ron.

In conclusion, I would like to talk about the number of characters.
When there are many of them, this is bad, since they will begin to duplicate each other (there are only seven archetypes!). Competition among the characters will cause discoordination in the minds of the readers.
The most reasonable thing is to stupidly check your heroes by archetypes.
For example, in your novel there are three old women. The first is cheerful, the second is smart, and the third is just a lonely grandmother from the first floor. Ask yourself – what do they represent? And you will understand that a lonely old woman is superfluous. Her phrases (if there are any) can easily be conveyed to the second or first (old ladies). This way you will get rid of unnecessary verbal noise and concentrate on the idea.

After all, “The idea is the tyrant of the work” (c) Egri.

© Copyright: Copyright Competition -K2, 2013
Certificate of publication No. 213010300586
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Who it 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 an active person. 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 if we lose 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 - positive hero, she evokes pleasant emotions, you sympathize with her. And here are the sisters and evil stepmother- clearly heroes of a completely different type.

Characteristics. How to write?

Heroes literary works sometimes (especially in a literature lesson at school) they 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 writing characteristics 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 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. Especially it concerns 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's happened " eternal image"? This concept names a hero who was once created 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 other names, but that doesn’t make any difference changing Such heroes include the fighter Don Quixote, the hero-lover Don Juan and many others.

Unfortunately, modern fantasy characters do not become eternal, despite the love of 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 only imitate 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.

Character- type of artistic image, subject of action, experience, statement in a work. The phrases used in modern literary criticism have the same meaning literary hero And actor. The author of the textbook believes that the 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 objective world. In an epic, the narrator (storyteller) can also be a hero if he participates in the plot (Grinev in Pushkin). In the lyrics, which recreate first of all inner world person, the characters (if there are any) are depicted dottedly, fragmentarily, and most importantly - in inextricable connection with the experiences of the lyrical subject. Illusion own life characters in lyric poetry are sharply weakened in comparison with epic and drama, so it is advisable to consider the question of characters in lyric poetry separately.

Most often, a literary character is a person. The degree of concreteness of his depiction may 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 creative method writer. ABOUT minor character more can be said about 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, The Master and Margarita, Mowgli, Amphibian Man) There are genres in which such characters are mandatory or very likely: fairy tale, fable, ballad, Science fiction, animalistic liter, etc.

The center of the subject artistic knowledge make up 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 hero, 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, conjecturing and implementing prototypes (even if this historical figures: Wed 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 tempers. (controversy about Katerina, about Bazarov) thus the character appears, on the one hand, as a character, on the other, as an artistic image that embodies this character with one degree or another 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 cohesive 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, who only perform plot role(in Poor Liza, a friend informs 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 the basis for classifications, (tyrants and unrequited ones - Dobrolyubov, extra person in the works of Turgenev)

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 artistic images Chichikov and Judushka Golovlev are beautiful and as such they 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, obviously 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 the choir in ancient drama) (working 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 wildlife 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 (dog's heart), the complex dual plot in it essentially reveals one character. In the early stages of narrative art, the number of characters and the connections between them were determined primarily by the logic of plot development (a single hero fairy tale demanded 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 the favorite topic. To understand the main problematic character they can play 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 outlived my desires... Pushkin, That’s why I deeply despise myself... Nekrasov) this narrow understanding lyrical hero, who is just 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 wonderful moment: the image of the heroine is created with the help of metaphors, etc. words can be attributed to the ideal beloved in general, a specific image does not arise.

An important way to create character images in the lyrics are their nominations, often characterizing 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 name himself or any of the participants 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 according to common feature, then it arises 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. Belonging to one or another motive a certain 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 classification and ordering individual motives. On the other hand, there are techniques that help you understand the 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 in the narrow sense Characteristics mean the motives that determine the psychology of the character, his “character.”

The simplest element of characterization is the naming of the hero 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. Often meets 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 emotional attitude towards the hero (sympathy or repulsion) is developed on 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 artistic construction works.

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 necessary accessory plots. The plot as a system of motives can do without a 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.

) - a character in a play, film, book, game, etc. Characters can be completely fictitious or taken from real life(stories). Characters can be human, animal, supernatural, mythical, divine beings, or personified abstract entities. The process of presenting information about characters in fiction called a characteristic.

In its usual meaning, the same as a literary hero. Most often under character the actor is understood. But here, too, two interpretations differ:

1. A person represented and characterized in action rather than in description; then the concept character Most of all correspond to the heroes of dramaturgy, the images-roles.
2. Any actor, subject of action in general. In this interpretation, the character is opposed only to the “pure” subject of experience appearing in the lyrics, which is why the term character not applicable to the so-called “lyrical hero”: you cannot say “lyrical character”.

Under character sometimes only a minor person is understood. In this understanding the term character correlates with the narrowed meaning of the term hero- the central person or one of the central persons of the work. On this basis, the expression “episodic character” arose.

Archetypes [ | ]

A character, in particular, may be based on an archetype, which is a general characterizing image, such as those listed below. Jung's archetypes are modeled on mythology, legends and folk tales. For example, Puck from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Bugs Bunny demonstrate the Jungian trickster archetype, as they challenge established standards of behavior. After being accepted by literary criticism, archetypes began to play a special role in the plot.

see also [ | ]