Today in literary criticism there are many works devoted to the theory of conflict (V.Ya. Propp, N.D. Tamarchenko, V.I. Tyupa, Vl.A. Lukov, etc.). In a broad sense, conflict can be understood as "that system of contradictions that organizes a work of art into a certain unity, that struggle of images, social characters, ideas that unfolds in every work - in epic and dramatic ones widely and completely, in lyrical ones - in primary forms."
There are conflicts in which the opposition of characters takes place on an external level. For example, Hamlet and his opponents; Hamlet and Laertes. The same should be said about the internal conflict that arises within the character, as the struggle of his internal contradictions, such a conflict is transferred to the sphere of feelings (Hamlet).
Such an understanding of the conflict seems to be an integral part in every plot work (and often in non-plot work).
Any work is based on conflict, to a greater or lesser degree of its manifestation. In a lyrical work, the conflict is not as vividly presented as in an epic or dramatic work.
Vl.A. Lukov in his article proposes to understand the conflict as "a contradiction that forms the plot, forms the system of images, the concept of the world, man and art, the features of the genre, expressed in the composition, imprinting the speech and ways of describing the characters, which can determine the specific impact of the work on a person -- catharsis".
Further in the same article "Conflict (in a literary work)" the researcher talks about a conflict that is characterized not by a system of characters, but by a system of ideas, and subsequently it becomes philosophical, ideological and forms a philosophical and ideological generalization.
The conflict unfolds through the plot. There are two types of plot conflict: Local transitory plot, Stable conflict situation (state).
A local transient plot is a plot in which the conflict has its beginning and its resolution within the framework of a specific plot. The type of such a plot conflict is well described in literary criticism. The local transient plot is the so-called traditional, archetypal plot (because it goes back to historically early literature).
The beginning of the study of the local transient plot was laid by V. Ya. Propp. The scientist in the work "Morphology of a (fairy) fairy tale" (1928) considered the structure of the plot of a fairy tale. According to Propp, a fairy tale consists of three parts. In the first part of the fairy tale, a “shortage” is discovered (the abduction of the princess, the hero’s desire to find something without which the hero cannot have a full-blooded life: the merchant’s daughter wants a scarlet flower). In the second part of the fairy tale, there is a confrontation between the hero and the enemy, the victory of the hero over the enemy (Ivan Tsarevich defeats Koshchei the Immortal). In the third part, the hero of a fairy tale receives what he is looking for ("liquidation of the shortage"). He marries, while inheriting the throne ("accession"; see also: Function).
French structuralist scholars, relying on the work of Propp, tried to build universal models of event series in folklore and literature.
A stable conflict situation (state) is a type of conflict that has no resolution within a specific plot. A stable conflict situation (state) became widespread at the end of the 19th century in the New Drama.
Conflict (in literary criticism), or artistic conflict, is one of the main categories that characterize the content of a literary work (primarily dramas or works with vividly presented dramatic features).
As Vl.A. Lukov wrote, "the origin of the term is connected with the Latin word conflictus - clash, blow, struggle, battle (found in Cicero)".
Often in the works several conflicts develop at once, forming a system of conflicts.
There are different types of conflicts that lay different principles at the basis of their division.
They can be open and hidden, external and internal, acute and lingering, resolvable and insoluble, etc.
By the nature of pathos, conflicts are: tragic, comic, dramatic, lyrical, satirical, humorous, etc.
They also distinguish military, interethnic, religious (interconfessional), intergenerational, family conflicts based on the development of the plot action, which form the sphere of social conflicts (for example, Homer's Iliad; novels by W. Scott, W. Hugo, "War and Peace" LN Tolstoy, social novel in the works of O. Balzac, C. Dickens, ME Saltykov-Shchedrin, novels about generations: "Fathers and Sons" by IS Turgenev, "Teenager" by FM Dostoevsky; "family chronicles": "Buddenbrooks" by T. Mann, "The Saga of the Forsytes" by D. Galsworthy, "The Thibault Family" by R. Martin du Gard; the genre of "production novel" in Soviet literature, etc.). As mentioned above, the conflict can be transferred to the sensual sphere and determine the psychological genre generalization ("The Suffering of Young Werther" by I.V., Goethe). Conflicts that form philosophical, ideological genre generalizations ("What to do?" N.G. Chernyshevsky).
Some artistic movements are associated with the creation of a cross-cutting (main) conflict. A striking example confirming this idea is the conflict that became the most productive in classicism - the conflict between duty and feeling. In romanticism, such a conflict was the conflict between the ideal and reality.
In its most striking manifestation, the conflict is presented in the drama. W. Shakespeare has an open conflict, while A.P. Chekhov - hidden, which can be explained by the time during which both famous playwrights worked.
At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, a new form of conflict in drama was born - "discussion" ("A Doll's House" by G. Ibsen, dramas by D. B. Shaw, etc.), which is further developed and rethought in existentialist drama (J.-P Sartre, A. Camus, J. Anouilh) and in the "epic theater" of B. Brecht and challenged, brought to the point of absurdity in the modernist anti-drama (E. Ionesco, S. Beckett and others). Often in the literature one can find combinations in the drama of Chekhov's and Shakespeare's conflicts (for example, in the dramaturgy of M. Gorky).
Recently, there has been a tendency to crowd out the conflict with such a category as dialogue (M. Bakhtin). "But here - according to Vl.A. Lukov - one can see temporary fluctuations in relation to the fundamental categories of literary criticism, because behind the category of conflict in literature is the dialectical development of reality, and not just the actual artistic content." So, summing up all of the above, it must be emphasized that conflict is fundamental to almost every work.
You already know that you need to start writing your story with the creation of characters. But even when you have already fully described the image of your hero and tell the reader part of his biography, he will still remain inanimate. Only action will help to revive it - that is, conflict.
You can even try to bring the character to life for yourself without touching the plot of the book. For example, imagine that each of your characters found a wallet with money. How will he deal with them? Will he look for the owner, or will he take it for himself? Maybe he will demand a reward for returning? In general, the reaction of the character in this situation can tell quite a lot about him. This is how you need to bring your characters to life for your readers.
The most thoughtful plot in the world loses its meaning if it lacks the tension and excitement that conflict brings.
1. Conflict is a clash of the character's desires with opposition
In order for conflict to arise in your story, it is necessary to create not only a character, but also some kind of opposition that will interfere with the implementation of his plans. It can be both supernatural forces, weather conditions, and the actions of other heroes. It is only through the struggle that will arise between the character and the opposition that the reader will be able to find out who the hero really is.
The conflict in history is carried out according to the "action-reaction" scheme. That is, before you stumble upon any obstacles, your character must perform some action. For example, let's imagine that the hero wants to go to his parents' house for Christmas, but his girlfriend is against it, because she promised her family that they would come to her house together. Your character encountered opposition and a conflict arose. He can't go home without hurting the girl, but he also doesn't want to break his promise to his parents. Thanks to this situation, the reader will be able to learn more about both the character of the hero and the character of his girlfriend.
That is, To conflict develops when the characters have different goals and when each of them feels the need to achieve their goal. The more reasons for each side not to concede, the better for your work.
2. How to adjust the reaction forces
In every work it is very important that the antagonist is not weaker than the protagonist. Agree, no one wants to watch a fight between a world champion and an amateur. Why? Because the outcome will be known to all.
Raymond Hull, in his work How to Write a Play, shared an interesting counter formula: “The main character + his Goal + Counteractions = Conflict” (GP + C + P = C).
Your hero is obliged to receive such difficulties and obstacles that he can overcome only with maximum effort. And the reader should always be in doubt as to whether the character will emerge victorious from the next fight.
3. The bonding principle
The “crucible” plays the role of a pot or firebox where a work of art is boiled, baked or stewed. Moses Malevinsky "Science of Dramaturgy"
The crucible is the most important element in the organic structure of a work of art. It's like a container in which the characters are kept as the situation heats up. The crucible will not let the conflict die down, and will prevent the characters from escaping.
Characters remain in the crucible if their desire to engage in conflict is stronger than their desire to avoid it.
For example, you are writing a story about a boy who hates his school, and he has to look for various reasons not to go there. The reader might think - why not just go to another school? This is a logical question and you need to come up with an answer. Maybe his parents don't want to transfer to another school? Or perhaps he lives in a small town, and this is the only school, and there is no way to study at home?
In general, the character must have reasons to stay and continue to participate in the conflict.
Without the crucible, the characters will scatter. There will be no characters - there will be no conflict, there will be no conflict - there will be no drama.
4. Internal conflict
In addition to external conflict, internal conflict is also of great importance. People in life, usually, often face situations in which they do not know how to act correctly. They hesitate, they delay making a decision, etc. So should your characters. Believe me, this will help you make them more realistic.
For example, your hero does not want to join the army, although he understands that he must do it. Why doesn't he want to go there? Perhaps he is afraid, or does not want to leave his girlfriend for such a long time. The reasons must be realistic and really significant.
The hero, for a very serious reason, must or is forced to do something, and at the same time, for an equally serious reason, he cannot do it.
External and internal conflicts alone will not make your work of high quality. However, if you use both of them, then the result will definitely justify itself.
5. Types of conflict
The tragedy tells about the emotional experiences of the hero (internal conflict), leading a desperate struggle with the forces that oppose him. Gustav Freytag, The Art of Tragedy.
The basis of tragedy is struggle. The pace of events reaches the highest point of the drama (climax), and then slows down sharply. This struggle is the conflict.
Exists three types of conflict:
1. static. This conflict does not develop throughout history. The interests of the characters clash, but the intensity remains at the same level. Characters during such a conflict do not develop and do not change. This type is suitable for describing a dispute or quarrel;
2. rapidly developing (jumping). During such a conflict, the reactions of the characters are unpredictable. For example, the reader might expect the character to just smile, but the character suddenly bursts into laughter. Usually this kind of conflict is used in cheap melodramas;
3. slowly developing conflict. In high-quality literary works, it is best to use this type of conflict. It will not only help you make the story more interesting, but it will also bring out the character in a vivid way. During such a conflict, the state of the hero will change depending on the situation, he will have to make difficult decisions and choose how to react in a given situation.
A striking example of such a conflict can be considered the conclusion of the Count of Monte Cristo in the book of the same name. When the hero is put in a cell, at first he is shocked by what is happening, and asks to explain the situation to him. Then he gets angry and threatens. Then he gives up, and falls into apathy. Agree, if the hero immediately gave up, it would be completely uninteresting to read.
The character of your character must be developed not abruptly, but gradually, so that the reader is always interested in learning something new.
We continue to study the structural elements of the plot, and today we will talk about the core of dramatic stories - conflict.
What is conflict?
First of all, conflict- this is a clash, a struggle of two or more interests within the framework of a literary work. IN "Song of Ice and Fire" J. Martin Lannisters fight the Starks, during "Lord of the Rings" the combined forces of humans, elves and dwarves oppose Sauron, and so on. All narrative and entertaining prose tends to use conflict as the main driver of the plot.
Secondly, conflict is a source of dramatic situations, a catalyst for the tension of the physical and emotional forces of the characters involved in the struggle. Who cares about lazy and idle heroes? The characters involved in the conflict are forced to show the strength of their character and intellect in order to achieve their goals, and the clash of two polar forces gives rise to a variety of dramatic situations - moments when a person faces a difficult choice or hangs in the balance.
Watching such a skillfully written collision, the reader is involuntarily drawn in, empathizes with one side or the other. Acute conflict situations always attract attention, such is the nature of curiosity, and what else does a writer need, if not a reader focused on his text? In this regard, cinema and literature are forms that allow creating conflicts of the highest intensity. Limitations are imposed only by the imagination of the author. Therefore, let us remember that conflict in capable hands is the strongest means of influencing the readership.
conflict as it is.
However, it is my duty to warn you that not every work of art has to contain conflict. I already talked about this in the article (read it to better understand the scope of the tips from the rubric "Story Power"). Prose works in our time are so diverse that they allow us to address the most diverse aspects of human existence: not only the uncompromising struggle for a place under the sun, but also the spiritual and intellectual spheres, the aesthetics of descriptions. However, modern popular culture, whether we like it or not, is almost entirely dependent on conflict.
Therefore, if you intend to write action-packed prose, if you want to confidently hold the attention of your readership, you simply need to master the art of building artistic conflict.
So, a good dramatic story always starts with conflict. However, it is not at all necessary for him to appear already on the first page, but by the end of the conditional first third of the narrative, he should be identified specifically and clearly (for more details, see the article). Otherwise, the reader will simply get bored. I regularly come across such texts: page after page something happens, the hero runs and fusses, but it is completely incomprehensible why and for what purpose. The conflict is not marked, and we are no longer guided by events.
It follows from this that only clear, clearly defined forces should be present in the conflict - the reader should be conveyed who is fighting for what and why. Both sides of the conflict must be endowed with specific goals, the achievement of which for the heroes should be vital.
Let's take the following simple plot as an example.
Two couples with their children go on a two-day country trip. In the evening, at a halt, a poisonous snake bites the girl; next to her is the father of the second family - he tries to drive away the snake, but she bites him too. The snake's venom is deadly and people simply won't make it to the city in time. However, the man has an antidote with him, but it is only enough for one. The girl's parents believe that it is she who needs to be saved, and they are ready to take the medicine from the second family by force. The man, like his relatives, believes that it is he who should take the antidote. Two close-knit families in an instant become fierce enemies. Here is the conflict.
As you can see, in this story, a specific object is at the center of the conflict - an ampoule with an antidote. It is very important that there is something understandable and tangible at the center of the conflict (the ring of omnipotence in The Lord of the Rings, the Iron Throne in PLIO).
Antagonist.
Two more plot elements are closely related to the concept of conflict: antagonist And alternative factor.
Antagonist- this is a specific person opposing the main character. In J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy Lord of the Rings"The main antagonist is the dark spirit Sauron, it is his goals and actions that run counter to the interests of the main characters. The presence of an antagonist provides a form of conflict of the form " good and evil". Sometimes, as such, there may not be an antagonist in the work, in which case the conflict will take the form “ good versus good” (as in our example with a venomous snake bite: none of the heroes is overtly evil (although one can argue here), everyone is fighting for his life), or there is a so-called internal conflict.
Internal conflict- there is a clash of two opposing sides of personality. In our example, a bitten man will develop a serious internal conflict- the norms of morality and upbringing will push him to give the antidote to the girl, but the sense of self-preservation will insist on something else.
Often in fiction, several conflicts unfold at once. This makes the story multifaceted, close to the true realities of life. The main thing that is required here from the writer is not to forget to bring each of the conflicts to a resolution.
alternative factor.
Alternative factor- this is a real threat that will overtake the hero in case of defeat in the conflict. The key word here is real. If the hero does not suffer in any way as a result of defeat in the conflict, then it is not so interesting for us to empathize with him. Another thing is if he is in real, tangible danger. I will especially note that the alternative factor should be indicated in the text as early as possible so that there is no unpleasant feeling of puppet actions.
Below is classification of alternative factors based on the book by A. Mitta “ Cinema between hell and heaven».
Classification of alternative factors according to A. Mitte.
- Loss of self respect.
- Professional failure.
- Physical harm.
- The threat of death.
- Threat to family life.
- Threat to the life of the nation.
- Threat to humanity.
As you can see, the degree of heat is increasing. But this does not mean that the most exciting dramas are built around the threat of the annihilation of mankind. Not at all. This is where the real skill of the writer and writer is revealed: conflicts with weaker alternative factors give rise to more interesting variations. In our example with the snake, the alternative factor of the fourth group (the threat of death) operates, and it is this that allows us to introduce an additional very interesting internal conflict. But if we already had the fifth factor (the bite was his own child), the man would not have had any internal contradictions.
Well, let's stop there for now. You have gained basic knowledge about the nature of conflict in literary works, understood the main points and features of its use and construction. I hope that these theoretical foundations will be successfully implemented by you in practice. Thank you for your attention. Stay tuned!
Artistic conflict, or artistic conflict (from Latin collisio - collision), is the confrontation of multidirectional forces acting in a literary work - social, natural, political, moral, philosophical - receiving an ideological and aesthetic embodiment in the artistic structure of the work as an opposition (opposition) of characters circumstances, individual characters - or different aspects of one character - to each other, the artistic ideas of the work itself (if they carry ideologically polar principles).
In Pushkin's The Captain's Daughter, the conflict between Grinev and Shvabrin over love for Masha Mironova, which forms the visible basis of the actual novelistic plot, fades into the background before the socio-historical conflict - the Pugachev uprising. The main problem of Pushkin’s novel, in which both conflicts are refracted in a peculiar way, is the dilemma of two ideas about honor (the epigraph of the work is “Take care of honor from a young age”): on the one hand, the narrow framework of estate-class honor (for example, a noble, officer’s oath of allegiance) ; on the other hand, universal
values of decency, kindness, humanism (loyalty to the word, trust in a person, gratitude for the good done, the desire to help in trouble, etc.). Shvabrin is dishonest even from the point of view of the nobility code; Grinev rushes between two concepts of honor, one of which is imputed by his duty, the other is dictated by a natural feeling; Pugachev turns out to be above the feeling of class hatred for a nobleman, which would seem completely natural, and meets the highest requirements of human honesty and nobility, surpassing in this respect the narrator himself - Pyotr Andreevich Grinev.
The writer is not obliged to present the reader with a ready-made future historical resolution of the social conflicts he depicts. Often such a resolution of socio-historical conflicts reflected in a literary work is seen by the reader in a semantic context unexpected for the writer. If the reader acts as a literary critic, he can define both the conflict and the way it is resolved much more accurately and far-sightedly than the artist himself. So, N. A. Dobrolyubov, analyzing the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", managed to consider the most acute social contradiction of all of Russia - the "dark kingdom", where, among the general humility, hypocrisy and silence "tyranny" reigns supreme, the ominous apotheosis of which is autocracy, and where even the slightest protest is a "beam of light."
In epic and dramatic works conflict is at the heart of the plot and is its driving force, determining the development of the action.
Thus, in M. Yu. Lermontov's "Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov..." the development of the action is based on the conflict between Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich; in the work of N. V. Gogol's "Portrait" the action is based on an internal conflict in the soul of Chartkov - the contradiction between the awareness of the high duty of the artist and the passion for profit.
At the heart of the conflict of a work of art are life contradictions, their detection is the most important function of the plot. Hegel introduced the term "collisions" with the meaning of a collision of opposing forces, interests, aspirations.
The science of literature traditionally recognizes the existence of four types of artistic conflict, which will be discussed further. First, natural or physical conflict, when the hero enters into a struggle with nature. Secondly, the so-called social conflict, when a person is challenged by another person or society. In accordance with the laws of the artistic world, such a conflict arises in the clash of heroes who have oppositely directed and mutually exclusive life goals. And in order for this conflict to be sharp enough, “tragic” enough, each of these mutually hostile goals must have its own subjective correctness, each of the characters must arouse compassion to some extent. Thus, a Circassian (“Prisoner of the Caucasus” by A.S. Pushkin), like Tamara from M.Yu. Her "epiphany" costs her her life. Or The Bronze Horseman is a confrontation between a small man and a formidable reformer. Moreover, it is precisely the ratio of such themes that is characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century. It should be emphasized that the unquestioning introduction of a character into a certain environment that embraces him, assuming the supremacy of this environment over him, sometimes abolishes the problems of moral responsibility, personal initiative of a member of society, which were so essential for the literature of the 19th century. A variation of this category is a conflict between social groups or generations. Thus, in the novel “Fathers and Sons”, I. Turgenev depicts the pivotal social conflict of the 60s of the XIX century – the clash between the liberal nobles and the democrats of the raznochintsy. Despite the name, the conflict in the novel is not of age, but of ideological character, i.e. it is not a conflict of two generations, but in fact a conflict of two worldviews. The antipodes in the novel are Yevgeny Bazarov (the spokesman for the idea of democrats-raznochintsev) and Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov (the central defender of the worldview and way of life of the liberal nobility). The breath of the era, its typical features are felt in the central images of the novel and in the historical background against which the action unfolds. The period of preparation for the peasant reform, the deep social contradictions of that time, the struggle of social forces in the era of the 60s - this is what was reflected in the images of the novel, made up its historical background and the essence of the main conflict. The third type of conflict traditionally singled out in literary criticism is internal or psychological, when a person's desires conflict with his conscience. For example, the moral and psychological conflict of I. Turgenev's novel "Rudin", which originated in the author's early prose. Thus, the confessional elegy “One, again one me” can be considered an original preface to the formation of the Rudin storyline, which determines the main character’s confrontation between reality and dreams, falling in love with being and dissatisfaction with one’s own fate, and a significant share of Turgenev’s poems (“To A.S.”, “Confession”, “Did you notice, my silent friend…”, “When it’s so joyful, so tender…”, etc.) as a plot “preparation” future novel. The fourth possible type of literary conflict is designated as providential, when a person opposes the laws of fate or some deity. For example, in the grandiose, sometimes difficult for the reader "Faust", everything is built on a global conflict - a large-scale confrontation between the genius of knowledge Faust and the genius of evil Mephistopheles.
№9The composition of a literary work. External and internal composition.
Composition (from Latin composition - arrangement, comparison) - the structure of a work of art, due to its content, purpose, and largely determining its perception by the reader
Distinguish between external composition (architectonics) and internal composition (narrative composition).
To features external compositions include the presence or absence of:
1) dividing the text into fragments (books, volumes, parts, chapters, acts, stanzas, paragraphs);
2) prologue, epilogue;
3) applications, notes, comments;
4) epigraphs, dedications;
5) inserted texts or episodes;
6) author's digressions (lyrical, philosophical, historical)Author's digression - an extra-plot fragment in a literary text that serves directly to express the thoughts and feelings of the author-narrator.
Internal
The composition of the narrative is the features of the organization of the point of view on the depicted. When characterizing the internal composition, it is necessary to answer the following questions:
1) how the speech situation is organized in the work (who, to whom, in what form the speech addresses, whether there are narrators and how many of them, in what order they change and why, how the speech situation organized by the author affects the reader);
2) how the plot is built (linear composition, or retrospective, or with elements of a retrospective film, ring, plot frame; reportage type or memoir, etc.);
3) how the system of images is built (what is the compositional center - one hero, two or a group; how do the world of people correlate (main, secondary, episodic, off-plot / off-stage; twin characters, antagonist characters), the world of things, the world of nature, the world cities, etc.);
4) how individual images are built;
5) what compositional role is played by the strong positions of the text-literary work.
No. 10 Speech system thin. works.
The narration can be:
FROM THE AUTHOR (objective form of narration, from the 3rd person): the apparent absence of any subject of narration in the work. This illusion arises because in epic works the author does not directly express himself in any way - neither through statements on his own behalf, nor through the excitement of the tone of the story itself. The ideological and emotional comprehension is expressed indirectly - through a combination of details of the subject representation of the work.
FROM THE PERSON OF THE NARRATOR, BUT NOT THE HERO. The narrator manifests himself in emotional statements about the characters, their actions, relationships, experiences. Usually, the author assigns this role to one of the secondary characters. The narrator's speech gives the main assessment of the characters and events in a literary and artistic work.
Example: "The Captain's Daughter" by Pushkin, where the narration is on behalf of Grinev.
The form of narration in the first person is SKAZ. The narrative is built as an oral story of a specific narrator, equipped with his individual linguistic properties. This form allows you to show someone else's point of view, including one that belongs to another culture.
Another form is EPISTOLAR, i.e. letters of the hero or correspondence of several persons
The third form is MEMOIR, i.e. works written in the form of memoirs, diaries
The personification of narrative speech is a powerful, expressive tool.
№ 11 The system of characters as an integral part of a literary work.
When analyzing epic and dramatic works, much attention has to be paid to the composition of the system of characters, that is, the characters in the work. For the convenience of approaching this analysis, it is customary to distinguish between main, secondary and episodic characters. It would seem that a very simple and convenient division, but meanwhile in practice it often causes bewilderment and some confusion. The fact is that the category of a character (main, secondary or episodic) can be determined by two different parameters.
The first is the degree of participation in the plot and, accordingly, the amount of text that this character is given.
The second is the degree of importance of this character for revealing the sides of the artistic content. It is easy to analyze in cases where these parameters coincide: for example, in Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons, Bazarov is the main character in both respects, Pavel Petrovich, Nikolai Petrovich, Arkady, Odintsova are secondary characters in all respects, and Sitnikov or Kukshina are episodic.
In some artistic systems, we encounter such an organization of the system of characters that the question of their division into main, secondary and episodic loses all substantive meaning, although in some cases differences between individual characters remain in terms of plot and volume of text. No wonder Gogol wrote about his comedy The Inspector General that “every hero is here; the course and course of the play produces a shock to the whole machine: not a single wheel should remain as rusty and out of business. Continuing further the comparison of the wheels in the car with the characters of the play, Gogol notes that some characters can only formally prevail over others: “And in the car, some wheels move more noticeably and more strongly, they can only be called the main ones.”
Quite complex compositional and semantic relationships can arise between the characters of the work. The simplest and most common case is the opposition of two images to each other. According to this principle of contrast, for example, the system of characters in Pushkin's Little Tragedies is built: Mozart - Salieri, Don Juan - Commander, Baron - his son, priest - Walsingam. A somewhat more complicated case, when one character is opposed to all others, as, for example, in Griboyedov's comedy Woe from Wit, where even quantitative ratios are important: it was not for nothing that Griboedov wrote that in his comedy "twenty-five fools per one smart person." Much less often than opposition, the technique of a kind of “duality” is used, when the characters are compositionally united by similarity; Gogol's Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky can serve as a classic example.
Often, the compositional grouping of characters is carried out in accordance with the themes and problems that these characters embody.
№ 12 Actor, character, hero, character, type, prototype and literary hero.
Character(character) - in a prose or drama work, an artistic image of a person (sometimes fantastic creatures, animals or objects), which is both the subject of the action and the object of the author's research.
Hero. The central character, the main one for the development of the action, is called the hero of a literary work. Heroes who enter into an ideological or everyday conflict with each other are the most important in the character system. In a literary work, the ratio and role of the main, secondary, episodic characters (as well as off-stage characters in a dramatic work) are determined by the author's intention.
Character- a personality warehouse formed by individual traits. The totality of psychological properties that make up the image of a literary character is called character. Embodiment in a hero, a character of a certain life character.
Type(imprint, form, sample) is the highest manifestation of character, and character (imprint, distinguishing feature) is the universal presence of a person in complex works. A character can grow out of a type, but a type cannot grow out of a character.
Prototype- a certain person who served as the basis for the writer to create a generalized image-character in a work of art.
Literary hero- this is the image of a person in literature. Also in this sense, the concepts of "actor" and "character" are used. Often, only more important actors (characters) are called literary heroes.
Literary heroes are usually divided into positive and negative, but such a division is very conditional.
Actor artwork - character. As a rule, the character takes an active part in the development of the action, but the author or one of the literary heroes can also talk about him. Characters are main and secondary. In some works, the focus is on one character (for example, in Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time"), in others, the writer's attention is drawn to a number of characters ("War and Peace" by L. Tolstoy).
13. The image of the author in a work of art.
The image of the author is one of the ways to realize the author's position in an epic or lyric-epic work; a personified narrator, endowed with a number of individual characteristics, but not identical to the personality of the writer. The author-narrator always occupies certain spatio-temporal and evaluative-ideological positions in the figurative world of the work, he, as a rule, is opposed to all characters as a figure of a different status, a different spatio-temporal plan. A significant exception is the image of the author in the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" A.S. Pushkin, either declaring its closeness to the main characters of the novel, or emphasizing their fictitiousness. The author, unlike characters, cannot be either a direct participant in the events described, or an image object for any of the characters. (Otherwise, we may not be talking about the image of the author, but about the hero-narrator, like Pechorin from M. Yu. Lermontov.) Inside the work, the plot plan is represented by a fictional world, conditional in relation to the author, which determines the sequence and completeness of the presentation of facts, the alternation of descriptions, reasoning and stage episodes, the transfer of direct speech of characters and internal monologues.
The presence of the author's image is indicated by personal and possessive pronouns of the first person, personal forms of verbs, as well as various kinds of deviations from the plot action, direct assessments and characteristics of characters, generalizations, maxims, rhetorical questions, exclamations, appeals to an imaginary reader and even to characters: “It is very doubtful, so that the hero chosen by us will be liked by the readers. The ladies will not like him, this can be said in the affirmative ... ”(N.V. Gogol,“ Dead Souls ”).
Being outside the plot action, the author can handle both space and modernity quite freely: he can freely move from one place to another, leave the “actual present” (time of action), or delve into the past, giving the background of the characters (the story about Chichikov in the 11th chapter “Dead Souls”), or looking ahead, demonstrating their omniscience with messages or hints of the immediate or distant future of the heroes: “... It was a redoubt that did not yet have a name, then it received the name of the Raevsky redoubt, or the Kurgan battery. Pierre paid no particular attention to this redoubt. He did not know that this place would be more memorable for him than all the places of the Borodino field ”(L. N. Tolstoy,“ War and Peace ”).
In literature, the second half. 19th–20th centuries subjective narrative with the image of the author is rare; it has given way to "objective", "impersonal" narration, in which there are no signs of a personalized author-narrator and the author's position is expressed indirectly: through a system of characters, plot development, with the help of expressive details, speech characteristics of characters, etc. P.
14. Poetics of the title. Title types.
Title- this is an element of text, and a completely special, "advanced" one, it occupies a separate line and usually differs in font. The title is impossible not to notice - like a beautiful hat, for example. But, as S. Krzhizhanovsky figuratively wrote, the title is "not a hat, but a head that cannot be attached to the body from the outside." Writers are always very serious about the titles of their works, it happens that they are remade many times (you probably know the expression "heading pain"). To change the title means to change something very important in the text...
By the title alone, you can recognize the author or the direction to which he belongs: the name "Dead Moon" could only be given to the collection by hooligan futurists, but not A. Akhmatova, N. Gumilyov or Andrei Bely.
Without a title, it is completely incomprehensible what the poem is about. Here is an example. This is the beginning of B. Slutsky's poem:
Didn't get knocked off my feet. drew with a pen,
Like a swallow, like a bird.
And - do not cut down with an ax.
You won't forget and you won't forgive.
And some new seed
Carefully grow in your soul.
Who ... "didn't knock me off my feet"? It turns out, Alien line. That is the name of the poem. Whoever reads the title perceives the beginning of the poem with completely different eyes.
In poetry, all the facts of the language and any "little things" of the form become significant. This also applies to the title - and even if it ... is not. The absence of a title is a kind of signal: "Attention, now you will read a poem in which there are so many different associations that they cannot be expressed in any one word ..." The absence of a title indicates that a text rich in associations is expected, elusive to define.
Subject descriptive titles - titles that directly, directly designate the subject of description, in a concentrated form reflecting the content of the work.
Figurative-thematic- titles of works that communicate the content of what is to be read, not directly, but figuratively, by using a word or a combination of words in a figurative sense, using specific types of tropes.
Ideological and characteristic- titles of literary works, indicating the author's assessment of what is being described, the main conclusion of the author, the main idea of the entire artistic creation.
Ideological-thematic, or polyvalent titles are those titles that indicate both the theme and the idea of the work.
In literature? How does it manifest itself? Is it always possible to notice it even to an inexperienced reader? Conflicts in works of literature are an obligatory and necessary phenomenon for the development of the storyline. Not a single high-quality book that can claim the title of eternal classic can do without it. Another thing is that we are not always able to see a clear contradiction in the views of the character being described, to deeply consider the system of his values and inner convictions.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand true literary masterpieces. This occupation requires enormous mental stress, as well as the desire to understand the characters, the system of images built by the author. So what is conflict in literature? Let's try to figure it out.
Concept definition
In most cases, people intuitively understand what is at stake when it comes to talking about some kind of ideological clash in a particular book. The conflict in literature is the confrontation of the characters of the heroes with external reality. The struggle in the fictional world can go on for a long time and necessarily leads to a change in the way the hero looks at the surrounding reality. Such tension can form within the character himself and be directed to his own personality. The development of such a move occurs very often. And then they talk about the internal conflict, that is, the struggle with oneself.
Conflicts in Russian literature
Domestic classics deserve special attention. Below are examples of conflicts in literature taken from Russian works. Many of them will be familiar from the time of the school curriculum. What books are worth checking out?
"Anna Karenina"
The greatest monument of Russian literature, which does not lose its relevance today. Almost everyone knows the plot of Anna Karenina. But not every person can immediately determine what the main experiences of the heroine are. Thinking about what conflict is in literature, we can recall this wonderful work.
Anna Karenina shows a twofold conflict. It is he who does not allow the main character to come to her senses and look differently at the circumstances of her own life. In the foreground, an external conflict is depicted: society's rejection of relations on the side. It is he who distances the heroine from people (friends and acquaintances) with whom it was so easy to interact before. But besides him, there is still an internal conflict: Anna is literally crushed by this overwhelming burden that she has to bear. She suffers from separation from her son Seryozha, she has no right to take the child with her to a new life with Vronsky. All these experiences create a strong tension in the heroine's soul, from which she cannot free herself.
"Oblomov"
Another unforgettable work of Russian classical literature, which is worth talking about. Oblomov depicts the solitary life of a landowner who at one time decided to refuse service in the department and devote his life to solitude. The character himself is quite interesting. He does not want to live according to the pattern imposed by society, and at the same time does not find the strength to fight. Staying in inaction and apathy further undermines it from the inside. The hero's conflict with the outside world is manifested in the fact that he sees no point in living the way most people do: going to work every day, performing actions that seem meaningless to him.
The passive way of life is his defensive reaction against the incomprehensible surrounding world. The book shows the conflict of the ideological plan, since it is based on an understanding of the essence and meaning of human existence. Ilya Ilyich does not feel the strength in himself to change his life.
"Idiot"
This work is one of the most famous by F. M. Dostoevsky. The Idiot depicts an ideological conflict. Prince Myshkin is very different from the society in which he has to be. He is laconic, has extreme sensitivity, which is why he is acutely experiencing any events.
The rest of the characters are opposed to him by their behavior and outlook on life. The values of Prince Myshkin are based on the Christian understanding of good and evil, on his desire to help people.
Conflicts in foreign literature
Foreign classics are no less entertaining than domestic ones. Conflicts in foreign literature are sometimes presented in such a broad way that one can only admire these masterfully written works. What examples can be given here?
"Romeo and Juliet"
A unique play by William Shakespeare, which every self-respecting person must have met at one time or another. The book shows a love conflict, gradually turning into a tragedy. Two families - the Montagues and the Capulets - have been at war with each other for many years.
Romeo and Juliet resist the pressure of their parents, trying to defend their right to love and happiness.
"Steppenwolf"
This is one of the most memorable novels by Hermann Hesse. The main character - Harry Galler - cut off from society. He chose for himself the life of an impregnable and proud loner, because he cannot find a suitable place in it for himself. The character calls himself a "steppe wolf", who accidentally wandered into the city to people. Haller's conflict of an ideological plan lies in the inability to accept the rules and attitudes of society. The surrounding reality appears to him as a picture devoid of meaning.
Thus, when answering the question of what a conflict is in literature, one should definitely take into account the inner world of the protagonist. The worldview of one character is very often opposed to the surrounding society.
