For children, a fairy tale is an amazing but fictional story about magical items, monsters and heroes. However, if you look deeper, it becomes clear that a fairy tale is a unique encyclopedia that reflects the life and moral principles of any people.

For several hundred years, people have come up with a huge number of fairy tales. Our ancestors passed them from mouth to mouth. They changed, disappeared and returned again. And they can be completely different characters. Most often, the heroes of Russian folk tales are animals, and in European literature, princesses and children are more often the main characters.

Fairy tale and its meaning for the people

A fairy tale is a narrative story about fictional events that did not actually take place with the participation of fictional heroes and magical characters. Fairy tales, composed by the people and being the creation of folklore traditions, exist in every country. Residents of Russia are closer to Russian folk tales about animals, kings and Ivan the Fool, residents of England - about leprechauns, gnomes, cats, etc.

Fairy tales have a powerful educational power. A child from the cradle listens to fairy tales, associates himself with the characters, puts himself in their place. Thanks to this, a certain model of behavior is developed in him. Folk tales about animals teach respect for our smaller brothers.

It is also worth noting that Russian fairy tales of an everyday nature include such words as "master", "muzhik". This awakens curiosity in the child. With the help of fairy tales, you can interest the child in history.

Everything that is invested in a child in childhood remains with him forever. A child properly brought up on fairy tales will grow up to be a decent and sympathetic person.

Composition

Most fairy tales are written according to the same system. It is the following diagram:

1) Zachin. This describes the place where the events will take place. If about animals, then in the beginning the description will begin with a forest. Here the reader or listener gets acquainted with the main characters.

2) tie. At this stage of the tale, the main intrigue occurs, which turns into the beginning of the plot. Suppose the hero has a problem and he must solve it.

3) climax. It is also called the pinnacle of a fairy tale. Most often this is the middle of the work. The situation is heating up, the most responsible actions are taking place.

4) denouement. At this point, the main character solves his problem. All characters live happily ever after (as a rule, folk tales have a good, kind ending).

Most of the stories follow this pattern. It can also be found in author's works, only with significant additions.

Russian folk tales

They represent a huge block of folklore works. Russian fairy tales are varied. Their plots, actions and characters are somewhat similar, but, nevertheless, each is unique in its own way. Sometimes the same folk tales about animals come across, but their names are different.

All Russian folk tales can be classified as follows:

1) Folk tales about animals, plants and inanimate nature ("Terem-Teremok", "Rock-Rock Hen", etc.)

2) Magic ("Self-assembly tablecloth", "Flying ship").

3) "Vanya was riding a horse...")

4) ("About the white bull", "The priest had a dog").

5) Household ("The master and the dog", "Kind pop", "Good and bad", "Pot").

There are quite a few classifications, but we considered the one proposed by V. Ya. Propp, one of the outstanding researchers of the Russian fairy tale.

animal images

Every person who grew up in Russia can list the main animals that are characters in Russian fairy tales. Bear, wolf, fox, hare - these are the heroes of Russian fairy tales. Animals live in the forest. Each of them has its own image, in literary criticism called an allegory. For example, the wolf that we meet in Russian fairy tales is always hungry and angry. It's always Because of his anger or greed, he often gets into trouble.

The bear is the master of the forest, the king. He is usually depicted in fairy tales as a just and wise ruler.

The fox is an allegory of cunning. If this animal is present in a fairy tale, then one of the other heroes will definitely be deceived. The hare is an image of cowardice. He is usually the eternal victim of a fox and a wolf intent on eating him.

So, it is precisely such heroes that Russian folk tales about animals present to us. Let's see how they behave.

Examples

Consider some folk tales about animals. The list is huge, we will try to analyze only a few. For example, let's take the tale "The Fox and the Crane". She tells about the Fox, who called the Crane to her dinner. She cooked porridge, smeared it on a plate. And the Crane is uncomfortable to eat, so he didn’t get porridge. Such was the trick of the frugal Fox. The crane invited the Fox to dinner, boiled okroshka and offered to eat from a jug with a high neck. But Lisa never got to the okroshka. Moral of the tale: as it comes around, so, unfortunately, it will respond.

An interesting tale about Kotofey Ivanovich. One man brought a cat to the forest and left it there. A fox found him and married him. She began to tell all the animals how strong and furious he was. The wolf and the bear decided to come and see him. The fox warned that it was better for them to hide. They climbed a tree, and under it they put the meat of a bull. A cat with a fox came, the cat pounced on the meat, began to say: "Meow, meow ...". And it seems to the wolf and the bear: "Not enough! Not enough!". They marveled and wanted to take a closer look at Kotofei Ivanovich. The leaves stirred, and the cat thought it was a mouse, and grabbed their muzzles with its claws. The wolf and the fox ran away.

These are Russian folk tales about animals. As you can see, the fox circles everyone around the finger.

Animals in English fairy tales

Good characters in English fairy tales are a hen and a rooster, a cat and a cat, a bear. Fox and wolf are always negative characters. It is noteworthy that, according to the research of philologists, the cat in English fairy tales has never been a negative character.

Like Russians, English folk tales about animals divide characters into good and evil. Good always triumphs over evil. Also, the works have a didactic purpose, that is, at the end there are always moral conclusions for readers.

Examples of English fairy tales about animals

Interesting work "Cat King". It tells about two brothers who lived in the forest with a dog and a black cat. One brother was once late hunting. Upon his return, he began to tell miracles. He says he saw the funeral. Many cats carried a coffin with a pictured crown and scepter. Suddenly, the black cat lying at his feet raised his head and cried out: "Old Peter is dead! I am the cat king!" Then he jumped into the fireplace. Nobody saw him again.

Let's take the comical tale "Willy and the Piglet" as an example. One master entrusted his stupid servant to carry a pig to his friend. However, Willy's friends persuaded him to go to a tavern, and while he was drinking, they jokingly replaced the pig with a dog. Willie thought it was the devil's joke.

Animals in other genres of literature (fables)

It is worth noting that Russian literature includes not only Russian folk tales about animals. It is also rich in fables. Animals in these works have such qualities of people as cowardice, kindness, stupidity, envy. I. A. Krylov especially liked to use animals as characters. His fables "The Crow and the Fox", "The Monkey and Glasses" are known to all.

Thus, we can conclude that the use of animals in fairy tales and fables gives literature a special charm and style. Moreover, in English and Russian literature, the heroes are the same animals. Only their stories and characteristics are completely different.

Quiz "Animals - heroes of fairy tales"

Fairy tale quiz for elementary school students

List of materials used
1. Folk Russian fairy tales: From the collection of A.N. Afanasyev / Introduction. article by V. Anikin; ill. N.Kaminsky. - M.: Pravda, 1982.- 576s.: ill.
2. Russian folk tales / Comp., Enter. Art. and note. V.P. Anikina; Drawings by E. Korotkova, N. Kochergin, I. Kuznetsov, K. Kuznetsov, V. Milashevsky, B. Shakhov; Registration of B. Shkolnik.- I .: Det. lit., 1986.- 543 p.: ill.
3. My favorite songs (Electronic resource). - 2001, SIMAZ

The text of the work is placed without images and formulas.
The full version of the work is available in the "Job Files" tab in PDF format

1. Objective

All people from early childhood love fairy tales. Thanks to fairy tales, we get a unique opportunity to plunge into the magical world. Getting acquainted with the magical world of fairy tales, we cultivate in ourselves a love for the word and an interest in reading.

Do we believe in the reality of fairy tales? And we believe, and we do not believe, but for some reason we really want to believe in a fabulous miracle in reality, in magic in everyday life. What is a fairy tale and when did it appear? These questions interested me, and I decided to explore fairy tales:

1. get acquainted with the history of folk tales; 2. analyze fairy tales about animals; 3. to identify the main character traits of the characters of fairy tales about animals.

1.2. Research objectives

The objectives of my research work are to:

1. study fairy tales about animals; 2. identify the characteristics of the character of fabulous animals; 3. compare animal character traits with human character traits; 4. reveal the influence of reading fairy tales on the formation of a child's personality5. make a presentation "The main character traits of heroes in fairy tales about animals"

object studies are folk tales about animals; subject studies are the distinguishing features of the character of the heroes of these fairy tales.

Introduction. What is a fairy tale?

A fairy tale is an entertaining story about extraordinary events. Tales were created by the people, therefore they are called - Russian folk. They arose in ancient times, when people did not yet know how to write and were passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation.

All fairy tales are divided into: magical, domestic and fairy tales about animals. Tales about animals have a special meaning. Their heroes are animals, birds and fish, but very similar in character to people. The main task of such fairy tales is to ridicule bad character traits, negative actions and evoke compassion for the weak, offended. For fairy tales about animals, the idea is important that the revived nature is able to act independently, animals and plants have the right to their own life.

The sly Fox, the evil and stupid Wolf, the cowardly Hare, the proud Rooster, the good-natured Bear and other animals and birds act in animal tales. Tales about animals, as a rule, are moralizing and instructive. The favorite hero of such fairy tales - the cunning and deceiver (fox) - is necessarily opposed to a positive character (bear, hare).

3. The main part. The main characters of fairy tales about animals and features of their character

3.1. The main character is Lisa.

The favorite hero of fairy tales about animals is the fox. She is quirky and very cunning, often ready for the most incredible fiction. The fox thinks only of its own benefit. The fox is vindictive and vindictive. She revels in revenge, feels complete superiority over the gullible and stupid wolf. How much resourcefulness and how much vindictive feeling in her! Stupidity and gullibility are as endless as cunning and calculation. The people endowed her with different names: Lisa Patrikeevna, Kumushka Fox, Cunning. Fairy tales: "Chox-sister and wolf", "Cat, rooster, and fox", "Fox and hare", "Bear and fox", "Kolobok", "Fox and crane".

3.2. The main character is Wolf.

Another hero that the fox often encounters is the wolf. This is the exact opposite of the image of the fox. In fairy tales, the wolf is stupid, it is easy to deceive him. There seems to be no such trouble, no matter what this unlucky, eternally beaten beast got into. The image of a wolf in fairy tales is always hungry and lonely. He always finds himself in a ridiculous, ridiculous position. Fairy tales: “Old bread and salt is forgotten”, “Wolf and goat”, “Stupid wolf”, “Insatiable wolf”, “Kolobok”.

3.3. Main character - Bear

Also one of the main characters in fairy tales about animals is a bear. The bear often gets into funny situations, but never attacks anyone. The image of the bear, remaining as before the main figure of the forest kingdom, appears before us as a slow, gullible loser, often stupid and clumsy, clubfoot. He constantly boasts of his exorbitant strength, although he can not always use it properly. Fairy tales: “The Man and the Bear”, “Teremok”, “Masha and the Bear”, “The Wintering of Animals”, “The Bear and the Dog”, “The Bear is a Linden Leg”.

3.4. The main character is a hare.

The hare in Russian folk tales represents a good hero. In some fairy tales, this is a victim, a weak and helpless hero who is afraid of everything. In others, he appears as a clever trickster who, despite fear, is capable of brave deeds. Fairy tales: "Zaikin's hut", "Hares and frogs".

Questionnaire "Russian folk tales about animals in our life" among students in grades 3-5

I conducted a survey "Russian folk tales about animals in our lives":

among classmates (students of grade 3),

among 5th grade students.

25 people took part in the survey. Of these, 21 people answered that they like to read Russian folk tales about animals.

Research results

After analyzing the questionnaire data, I concluded that almost all children know and love Russian folk tales about animals and their main characters. Children are more likely to choose positive characters that have a positive impact on the child's behavior. I also learned that reading Russian folk tales about animals has a positive effect on the formation of a child's personality.

Conclusion

In fairy tales about animals, the victory of positive heroes over negative ones, the victory of good over evil, is necessarily won. Each animal has its own character, its own distinctive features, but they all personify a person and the features of his warehouse.

List of used literature

1. Afanasiev A.N. "Folk Russian fairy tales", M., 2010.

2. Anikin V.P. Russian folktale. M., 1984.

3. Vedernikova N.M. Russian folktale. M., 1975.

4. Russian folk tales / processed by M. Bulatov, I. Karnaukhova - M .: 2014

Kushakova Sayohatbonu

Design and research work.

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MOU Kamenskaya secondary school №1

Work completed:

Kushakova Sayohatbonu

4th grade

Supervisor:

Pushkina Ekaterina Vladimirovna

Kamenka 2012

Topic. Fox. Fox habits. The image of a fox in Russian folk tales.

Target. Analyze the image of a fox in Russian folk tales and draw a conclusion about its essence.

Tasks .

1. Learn from additional literature about the fox;
2. study the habits of the fox in different sources;
3. conduct a survey on the topic of work among students;
4. read Russian folk tales in which the fox acts;
5. analyze the image of the fox and draw conclusions.

Object of study. Fox.

Subject of study.Russian folk tales. Additional literature and various sources about the fox.

Hypothesis . Suppose the fox is the most intelligent and cunning character in Russian folk tales.

Research methods. Reflections, reading books, searching for information about the fox in different sources, polling, analyzing the results.

Work plan

1. Introduction.
2. Main part:

1. Fox Habits of a fox.

2. The image of a fox in Russian folk tales.

3. Questioning and analysis of answers.

4. Reading books and studying the image of a fox in Russian folk tales. Conclusion.

1. Conclusion.

Introduction

I love animals very much, so I read a lot of literature: fiction, encyclopedias about animals and fairy tales about animals. Recently, I have become very interested in such animals as the fox. I read all the material in home books about the fox, in the library I read encyclopedic articles on this beast, and so on. On the Internet, I found and read a lot of material about the fox. Having studied the material about the fox, I suddenly became interested in why the Russian people began to add up fairy tales about the fox, what kind of fox is in fairy tales, does it always “get out of the water dry”. I decided to answer my questions. I also benefited greatly from what I learned earlier.

Main part

Fox. Fox habits.

Fox - one of the most beautiful predators. It belongs to the canine family, although it is somewhat similar to the cat. The color of the skin is red, the tail is long and fluffy, the muzzle is long and narrow, and the eyes are smart and cunning. The fox is about the size of a small dog. The color of the red cheat varies from fiery red to gray.

The fox lives in Europe, and in Asia, and in America, and in Africa. The fox is a very agile and playful animal. She runs so fast that it is very difficult for dogs to catch up with her. In addition, this is a very cunning beast: it can indulge in various tricks, confusing its own tracks or getting its own food.

The fox is a great hunter. In addition to observation and ingenuity, she has an excellent memory, a good sense of smell and remarkably sharp hearing.

Being a predator, the fox eats a variety of animals. She eats mice, hares, rabbits, amphibians, reptiles with pleasure, digs up earthworms from the ground after rain, catches fish and crayfish in the river. But especially the redhead loves to eat a bird. That's why he looks into chicken coops. The fox successfully supplements the meat diet with berries, apples, and vegetables.

Despite the fact that the fox will not miss the opportunity to feast on a gaping hare, catch a black grouse or ruin a bird's nest, in the forest it does much more good than harm. The main food of foxes is voles, mice, ground squirrels and other small rodents that are harmful to agriculture. And the growing foxes exterminate the May beetles in large numbers - well-known pests in forest areas.

Foxes usually live alone and unite only for the rutting season. Males help females raise young offspring.

Little foxes are usually born in late April, early May. The young generation is growing up quickly, by the 20th day of life they are already beginning to crawl out of the hole and feed not on mother's milk, but on live food. Parents bring live mice, birds and small animals into the burrow, which fox cubs enjoy eating. Kids immediately begin to teach the basics of hunting. At first, the cubs prey on May beetles and grasshoppers, but gradually they become accustomed to larger prey: voles, lizards, and frogs.

Fox cubs grow rapidly, and already in August it is difficult to distinguish them from a distance from an adult animal. In November, young foxes begin an independent life and scatter in all directions.

Foxes don't always live in burrows. They use these dwellings only when raising offspring, and spend the rest of the time in the open. The fox has practically no feelings at home. They settle where they like, and even then not for long. The fox willingly digs holes near human dwellings, sometimes foxes wander even into cities. The fox often does not want to dig a hole on its own and uses other people's dwellings, for example, the fox has great respect for comfortable burrows dug by a badger.

A mature fox acquires burrows not only in order to grow offspring in them or hide from prolonged bad weather. Often burrows serve as a refuge for them in case of danger.

The old fox, as usual, has not one hole, but several at once. Fox hatching holes are mainly located on the slopes of the ravine, not far from the stream, in the forest thicket, i.e. where people don't go. It happens that the fox from year to year returns to the hole once dug. Then such "apartments" are constantly expanding, being updated, acquiring several "rooms", which are located on 2 - 3 floors. Hunters are well acquainted with such holes and call them "secular".

Usually, a fox hatching hole is equipped with several exits - otnorks, which allow it to leave its shelter unnoticed in case of danger. The main snout, which the fox often uses to exit and enter, is noticeable from afar. Usually this is a clean area, sprinkled with sand, which appeared here as a result of many years of cleaning the hole. Here oftenyou can see foxes playing.

The fox is on the move almost all the time, preferring to hunt at dawn and dusk, at night and during the hottest hours of the day, it usually rests in open dens, surveying the open spaces around it. While honing the filigree technique of hunting skills, the restless animal devotes itself to mouse-clicking with all its passion, resembling a playful kitten from the outside. It seems that she likes the very process of hunting, she constantly hunts down someone, sniffs out, looks out. Walking around its lands day after day, this animal will never miss the opportunity to catch someone, even without being hungry: the result of its work can be hidden in one of the many pantries "for a rainy day", which comes sooner or later. The fox never eats "from the stomach", as a wolf or a bear does, it always remains light, agile and swift, ready for new hunting exploits.

In a straight line, this cunning beast almost never walks, she constantly changes direction, turns, returns, circles and winds, she is curious, she cares about everything. She also leaves the chase, inventing some tricks or new tricks on the go. The fox is very hardy, she can lead dogs all day long if the terrain is uneven, she prefers to walk in ravines, going down to the very bottom or going halfway up, confusing tracks and walking long distances.

The fox in any situation shows ingenuity, resourcefulness. For example, when she has fleas, she finds a woolen rag, approaches the pond and very slowly, starting from the tail, plunges into the water. Everyone knows that fleas do not like water and therefore run up to the head. There is a woolen rag in the fox's mouth. The fox plunges headlong into the water, and the fleas remain on the rag. So the cunning fox gets rid of the fleas.

The image of a fox in Russian folk tales.

I thought that the fox in Russian folk tales is a cunning cheat and a deceiver. All the animals in the forest suffer from her tricks: a hare, a bear, a wolf. The fox lives in the house that he took away from the hare. The fox in fairy tales loves to dress up. Fox is a big gourmet. Here is what little I knew about the fairy fox.

Questioning and analysis of responses.

First, I decided to conduct a survey among primary school students in our school, because I wondered what they knew about the fox, the heroine of Russian folk tales. They were asked to answer the following questions:

1. What is the fox in Russian folk tales?
2. Where does the fox live?
3. What is the fox called in fairy tales?
4. Who in fairy tales is deceived by the fox

35 students from our school participated in the survey. I wrote down their answers in the table.

Reading books and studying the image of a fox in Russian folk tales. Conclusion.

After studying 15 fox tales, I came to the following conclusion: Fox in fairy tales acts as the main character. This is a stable image, which is dominated by cunning, a tendency to deceit and tricks. The fox will do anything to get her own - she will pretend to be weak and helpless, use all her charm and eloquence. In Russian fairy tales, the fox is opposed to a simpleton character. It can be a wolf, whom the fox successfully fools, the rooster ("cat, rooster and fox”), or a weak hare, whom she drives out of her hut (“Fox and hare» ). The fox is often punished for her antics, especially when she attacks weak, helpless heroes. For example, the Fox in the fairy tale "Fox with a rolling pin", "A man, a bear and a fox." The "fox and thrush" flees and hides in a hole, and then I pull it out of the dog's hole by the tail and tear it apart. In some fairy tales, the fox herself is deceived (“The Fox and the Crane”, “The Fox Confessor”), and in one fairy tale she dies from her own stupidity, putting a jug on her head, drowns in the river (“The Fox and the Jug”).

comparison table

Conclusion

During my research, I found answers to many questions. I read a lot of Russian folk tales, conducted a survey among students on the topic of the study. According to fairy tales, I concluded about the image of a fox in Russian folk tales.I really enjoyed analyzing stories. But my hypothesis was not fully confirmed, yet the fox can also be deceived.

Analyzing fairy tales, I came across obsolete words, the meaning of which I had to find out.

Hog - piglet, pig.

Confession - a rite of repentance for sins before the priest.

Kvashnya - wooden or earthenware for sourdough dough, fermented dough, dough.

Choir - a place for singers in the church on both sides of the altar.

Povoy - welcome a newborn

Motherland - birthday.

I realized that you should always be very careful when reading any work of art, since only thoughtful reading will allow you to make some new discoveries.

Used literature and Internet sites.

1. Russian folk tales: Book. For self- reading. Comp., author of the preface, notes, dictionary Yu.G. Kruglov. - M.: Enlightenment, 1983.
2. www.manorama.ru/article/hunting9.html
3. sinzhany.ru/povadki_dikoj_lisy.html
4. www.hunt-dogs.ru ›
5. rus-oxota.ru/4/16/lisa/lisa-description

Introduction

For many centuries, in the process of the formation of the current images of animals in Russian folk tales, literature was created that explored and described the folklore features of the heroes of fairy tales from various regions, countries, etc.

In such works, V.Ya. Propp as "Historical roots of a fairy tale", "Russian fairy tale" and "Morphology of a fairy tale", E.V. Pomerantseva "The Fate of a Russian Fairy Tale", V.P. Anikin "Russian folk tale" gives an idea of ​​the structure of a fairy tale, its types, a large number of different types of heroes of a fairy tale. Books by O.M. Ivanova-Kazas "Mythological Zoology (Dictionary)" and E. A. Kostyukhina "Types and Forms of the Animal Epic" help to consider in detail the most famous heroes of fairy tales about animals and create their collective image based on a comparative analysis of these heroes and their actions.

The heroes of fairy tales very often become animals, personifying people with different characters. Enough attention is paid to the consideration of such characters, but there is not enough literature explaining the role of their existence in fairy tales about animals, which is due to the relevance of the topic of the course work.

Purpose: To describe the heroes of Russian folk tales about animals.

Research of the Russian folk fairy tale and its animal characters.

Creation of a comparative analysis of the data of heroes and their actions.

To prove the educational role of a fairy tale through the necessity of the existence of animal characters.

Subject of study.

Object of study.

Heroes-animals of Russian folk tales.

Theoretical Method

Analysis method

Poll/questionnaire method

Comparative method

Research material.

Russian folk tales about animals.

The choice of this literature is due to the fact that in Russian folk tales about animals, the characters of animal heroes and their features are especially pronounced. And such books as A.N. Afanasyeva "Russian Folk Tales: a complete edition in one volume", "Tales about animals", "Tales about hares", "Tales about a fox" give a complete picture of the heroes of fairy tales about animals, describe their character traits, appearance and actions.

Tales about animals, their features and varieties

In fairy tales about animals, certain characters can be traced in different time frames. Therefore, one of the most important issues is the problem of differentiation of fairy tales about animals and fairy tales of other genres in which animals take part.

The key to solving this problem is the definition of fairy tales about animals proposed by V.Ya. Propp: “Fairy tales about animals will mean such fairy tales in which the animal is the main object or subject of the narrative. On this basis, fairy tales about animals can be distinguished from others, where animals play only an auxiliary role and are not the heroes of the story.

Tales about animals, of course, include fairy tales where only animals act (“The Fox and the Crane”, “The Fox, the Hare and the Rooster”, “The Midwife Fox”, “The Fox and the Thrush”, “The Fool Wolf”, etc.). d.). Of the tales about the relationship between man and animals, this genre should include those in which animals are the main characters, and people are the objects of their action and the narration in which is conducted from the point of view of animals, and not a person (“Wolf at the Hole”, “Dog and wolf”, “Man, bear and fox”, etc.).

Tales about animals bear little resemblance to stories from the life of animals. Animals in fairy tales only to some extent act in accordance with their nature, and to a much greater extent act as carriers of this or that character and producers of these or those actions, which should be attributed primarily to man. Therefore, the world of animals in fairy tales is complemented by human imagination, it is a form of expression of thoughts and feelings of a person, his views on life.

Animals that speak, reason and behave like people are just a poetic convention: "The adventures of animals are projected onto human life - and they are interesting in human terms." Hence the main themes of Russian fairy tales about animals - human characters, virtues and vices of people, types of human relationships in everyday life, in society, sometimes these images even look satirical.

Most researchers note the problem of classification of fairy tales about animals due to their diversity. V.Ya. Propp, noting the following varieties: fairy tales about animals that exist in a cumulative form (“Teremok”, “Gingerbread Man”, “Cockerel and Bean Seed”, etc.); fairy tales about animals, close in structure to fairy tales (“The Wolf and the Seven Kids”, “The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox”, etc.); fairy tales about animals, close in their structure to the fable (“The Wolf and the Fox”); fairy tales about animals, approaching literary works and having the form of a political pamphlet (“The Tale of Ersh Ershovich”).

Developing a classification of Russian fairy tales about animals based on texts collected by A.N. Afanasiev, V.Ya. Propp distinguishes the following groups: Tales about wild animals (“Beasts in the Pit”, “The Fox and the Wolf”, “The Midwife Fox”, “The Fox and the Crane”, “The Fox Confessor”, etc.); Tales about wild and domestic animals (“Dog and wolf”, “Wolf and seven kids”, “Cat, fox and rooster”, etc.); Fairy tales about a man and wild animals (“The Fox and her Tail”, “The Man and the Bear”, “The Old Bread and Salt is Forgotten”, “The Bear is a Lime Leg”, “The Chanterelle with a Rolling Pin”, etc.); Fairy tales about domestic animals (“Pulled Goat”, “Horse and Dog”, etc.); Tales about birds and fishes (“Crane and Heron”, “Cockerel and Bean Seed”, “Ryaba Hen”, etc.); Tales about other animals, plants, mushrooms and elements (“Fox and Cancer”, “Teremok”, “Kolobok”, “Sun, Frost and Wind”, “Mushroom War”, etc.).

The characters of the Russian folk tale about animals are usually represented by images of wild and domestic animals. The images of wild animals clearly predominate over the images of domestic animals: these are the fox, wolf, bear, hare, birds - crane, heron, thrush, woodpecker, sparrow, raven, etc. Domestic animals are much less common, and they do not appear as independent or leading characters, but only in conjunction with the forest: a dog, a cat, a goat, a ram, a horse, a pig, a bull, from domestic birds - a goose, a duck and a rooster. There are no fairy tales only about domestic animals in Russian folklore. Each of the characters is an image of a very specific animal or bird, behind which there is one or another human character, therefore, the characterization of the characters is based on observing the habits, demeanor of the beast, and its appearance. The difference in characters is especially clearly and definitely expressed in the images of wild animals: for example, the fox is drawn primarily as a flattering, cunning deceiver, charming robber; wolf - like a greedy and slow-witted "gray fool", always getting into a mess; a bear - as a stupid ruler, "forest oppression", using his strength not according to reason; a hare, a frog, a mouse, forest birds - like weak, harmless creatures, always serving on parcels. The ambiguity of assessments is also preserved in the description of domestic animals: for example, a dog is depicted as an intelligent animal devoted to man; a paradoxical combination of courage with laziness is noted in the cat; the rooster is noisy, self-confident and curious.

To understand the meaning of Russian folk tales about animals, it is necessary to work on their plot organization and composition. The plot of animalistic tales is characterized by clarity, clarity and simplicity: “Fairy tales about animals are built on elementary actions that underlie the narrative, representing a more or less expected or unexpected end, prepared in a certain way. These simplest actions are phenomena of a psychological order ... ". Animalistic tales are notable for their small volume, persistence of the plot scheme and laconism of artistic means of expression.

The composition of Russian fairy tales about animals is also distinguished by simplicity and transparency. Often they are one-episode (“The Fox and the Crane”, “The Crane and the Heron”, etc.). In this case, they are characterized by hyperbolization of the main properties and traits of the character, which determines the unusual, fantastic nature of their actions. However, fairy tales with plots based on the sequential linking of single-theme plot links-motifs are much more common. The events in them are connected by similar actions of through characters: for example, in the fairy tale "The Fox and the Wolf" there are three plot motifs - "The fox steals fish from the sleigh", "The wolf at the hole", "The beaten unbeaten one is lucky". The multi-episode nature, as a rule, does not complicate the compositions, since we are usually talking about the same type of actions of characters performed in different plot situations.

In this work, we will study two negative heroes of Russian folk tales about animals - the fox and the wolf. This choice is due not only to their popularity, but also to the fact that, using the example of these heroes, one can clearly see what vices are ridiculed and condemned in fairy tales, thereby influencing the formation of the national character of readers. Both characters are found both in different fairy tales separately, and in one together. And despite the fact that both the wolf and the fox are negative characters, and it seems that they have a lot in common: they live in the same forests, attack the same animals, are also afraid of the same opponents, in fairy tales they endowed with different human qualities, which is quite interesting. It is also interesting that one negative male character and, it turns out, is endowed with male negative character traits, and the other female hero, endowed with female traits, respectively, from which the methods of achieving their goals are different, despite the fact that these goals are the same. Thus, based on the analysis of various Russian folk tales about animals, one can consider these heroes from the same positions: their appearance, features, actions, determine which of them is smarter, smarter or more cunning, and who is stupid and naive. A comparative analysis of the wolf and the fox will also help to identify the main human vices ridiculed in society and find out how the presence of these heroes in Russian folk tales affects the formation of a national character, which is the purpose of this work.