Excerpts from literary works with conflict. Artistic conflict in literature

01.04.2019

The meaning of the word CONFLICT in the Dictionary of Literary Terms

CONFLICT

- (from lat. conflictus - clash) - an acute clash of characters and circumstances, views and life principles underlying the action artwork. K. is expressed in confrontation, contradiction, clash between heroes, groups of heroes, the hero and society, or in the internal struggle of the hero with himself. The development of K. sets the plot action in motion. K. can be resolvable or insoluble (tragic K.), explicit or hidden, external (direct clashes of characters) or internal (confrontation in the soul of the hero). Special meaning as an element of the plot has in dramatic works(see drama).

Dictionary of literary terms. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is CONFLICT in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

  • CONFLICT in the Dictionary of Analytical Psychology:
    (Conflict; Konflikt) - a state of indecision, uncertainty, accompanied by internal tension. (See also opposites and transcendental function)
  • CONFLICT in the Newest Philosophical Dictionary:
    (lat. conflictus - collision) - in a broad sense, a collision, confrontation of the parties. The philosophical tradition considers K. as a special case of contradiction, his ...
  • CONFLICT
    INTERESTS - a situation where a person or company acts simultaneously in several persons, whose goals do not coincide, for example, when ...
  • CONFLICT in the Dictionary of Economic Terms:
    (lat. conflictus - clash) - a clash of opposing interests, a contradiction in views and in ...
  • CONFLICT in the Basic terms used in A.S. Akhiezer's book Criticism of historical experience:
    - the inevitable manifestation of the inconsistency of the life of society, the result of different attitudes of groups to entropic processes, to disorganization, to the challenge of history. K. can ...
  • CONFLICT in the Literary Encyclopedia:
    [literally "collision"]. - In a broad sense, K. should be called that system of contradictions, which organizes a work of art into a certain unity, that ...
  • CONFLICT in the Pedagogical Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (lat. conflictus - clash), an extremely aggravated contradiction associated with acute emotional experiences. K. are divided into internal (intrapersonal) and external (interpersonal ...
  • CONFLICT in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (from lat. conflictus - clash) clash of parties, opinions, ...
  • CONFLICT in big Soviet encyclopedia, TSB:
    (from lat. conflictus - clash), clash of opposing interests, views, aspirations; a serious disagreement, a sharp dispute leading to ...
  • CONFLICT
    [from Latin conflictus clash] clash of opposing interests, views, aspirations; strife, disagreement, dispute, threatening ...
  • CONFLICT in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    a, m. 1. Collision, serious disagreement, dispute. Enter the family k. k. on the border. Conflict - characterized by conflict, relating to ...
  • CONFLICT V encyclopedic dictionary:
    , -a, m. Collision, serious disagreement, dispute. Enter into the family k. Armed k. on the border. II adj. conflict, -th, ...
  • CONFLICT in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    ARTISTIC CONFLICT (artistic conflict), confrontation, contradiction between those depicted in the production. active forces: characters, character and circumstances, decomp. sides of character. Directly…
  • CONFLICT in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
    conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, conflict"ct, ...
  • CONFLICT in the Dictionary of Epithets:
    Uncompromising, fruitless, meaningless, absurd, lengthy, long-term, dramatic, lingering, eternal, bloody, bloody, large, petty, ridiculous, unreasonable, incessant (usually pl.), frivolous, never-ending, ...
  • CONFLICT in the Popular Explanatory-Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
    -a, m. Collision of opposing interests, opinions, views; serious disagreement, dispute. Family conflict. Military conflict. Come into conflict with the law. Settle…
  • CONFLICT in the Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary:
  • CONFLICT in the New Dictionary of Foreign Words:
    (lat. confl ictus clash) clash of opposing interests, views; serious disagreement, acute ...
  • CONFLICT in dictionary foreign expressions:
    [ clash of opposing interests, views; serious disagreement, acute ...
  • CONFLICT in the Russian Thesaurus:
    Syn: collision, clash, contradiction, contradiction, duality, discrepancy, inconsistency, mutual exclusion Ant: agreement, ...
  • CONFLICT in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
    cm. …
  • CONFLICT in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
    Syn: collision, clash, contradiction, contradiction, duality, discrepancy, inconsistency, mutual exclusion Ant: agreement, ...

A literary work of art, whether prose or lyrical, can do without many of the traditional signs of artistry. It would seem that a work is always based on a plot, but look at the experimental literature of modernism - the author, who is brave enough and confident in his own powers, precisely as an artist of the word, discards the plot without hesitation or reduces it to a minimum.

An example of this is the text Virginia Woolf Or James Joyce. Describe one second 40 pages? Easy. This means that one cannot speak of the plot as the fundamental force of a literary work of art. Maybe then the basis is literary language, the tool with which the author conveys this or that thought to his reader? But then how to explain that works that are written very simply or even frankly in a bad style are very popular?

Actually the answer is simple. At the heart of any literary work is conflict.

Conflict in literature is a fairly broad concept. There is a classic understanding of conflict. In this case, it is perceived as a confrontation between good and evil, sublime and low, spiritual and carnal. These phenomena and functions embody the characters of the work or the "voice of the author", that is, those judgments of the all-seeing author-narrator that lie outside the plot, but comment on it, explain it.

There are also more complex conflicts, for example, a conflict between the author's personality and the real outside world, which somehow does not suit him. Such works cannot be considered outside of this conflict, because they simply lose their meaning. An example is the work of the Dadaists, poets of the most experimental type. They wrote meaningless collections of words and sounds, symbolizing the madness of the world, captured by the war. If we deprive the works of the Dadaists of this common conflict for them - the conflict human soul needing order in the world, and a crazy planet captured by bloodshed, then the set of words and sounds embodying the idea based on the antagonism of these concepts will become a meaningless set of words and sounds.

A work needs a conflict as a justification for the very existence of this work, its ideological core.

Types of conflicts

The type of conflict in the literature is distinguished by who is involved in the conflict. According to the oppositions "aspect of personality - another aspect of the same personality", "personality - another personality", "personality - environment", "personality - circumstances, fate, etc."

Internal conflict

The internal conflict in a literary work is a conflict over the opposition "an aspect of the personality - another aspect of the personality." Quite a popular conflict in Russian literary classics. An example is Maxim Gorky's epic novel The Life of Klim Samgin. Throughout the narrative, the title character is torn between unwillingness to participate in revolutionary movements late 19th and early 20th century, for the reason that the ideologies of these times are anti-individualistic (and he is an extreme individualist) and between the desire to command respect and admiration, which is easy to achieve by taking part in the uprising. He experiences both rejection of what is happening and painful interest. More famous example Raskolnikov from Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. There, the intellectual position put forward by the hero comes into conflict, declaring exclusive rights strong personality(the right to kill) and his moral sense of guilt.

interpersonal conflict

It is also called personality conflict. This is a kind of conflict over the opposition "personality - personality". Enter into confrontation real people and groups of people. The most typical example of interpersonal conflict in literature is the familiar conflict of Chatsky, a “new man” with fresh ideas and a reformist attitude, and “ Famus Society”, retrograde and closed on itself. If we talk about the conflict between the two heroes, then this is the conflict between Onegin and Lensky - a duel from purely personal motives. Separately among interpersonal conflicts is the conflict of "fathers and children". The confrontation of generations, the cultural and ideological gap between which is prohibitively large. Such conflicts arise in times of great social upheaval, when the course of life changes too quickly and radically. In addition to Turgenev's novel of the same name to the conflict, an example of such a contradiction is Dostoevsky's novel "The Teenager", in which the protagonist dreams of great wealth, since money is power, and the father is torn between extreme religiosity and noble altruism. Naturally, people of such different worldviews do not find common ground and conflict.

Impersonal conflict

This type of conflict is the most indefinite and ambiguous. The hero here does not contradict anyone in particular or himself. He enters into a confrontation with fate, life circumstances, the system, perhaps with divine forces. An example of such a conflict can be considered the play by Maxim Gorky "At the Bottom". The heroes of the work are in constant confrontation with their low social position and inevitably lose in this fight. Such conflicts lie at the heart of fairy tales. In addition to having fairy tale hero there are real enemies (Koschei, a cannibal, a dragon - it doesn’t matter), there is also the concept of a series of trials, a certain path that must be passed. The path of a fairy-tale hero, on which various real enemies meet or just obstacles like impenetrable forest This is also a literary conflict.

More than one type of conflict can occur in one work. Even more than that, in good work capable of holding the reader's attention, there are usually several types of conflicts. Consider the example of "Eugene Onegin". interpersonal conflict used for development storyline- this, as mentioned above, is a duel between the title character and the poet Lensky, followed by the murder of the latter. The internal conflict, usually used to reveal the inner world of the hero, is Evgeny's feelings for Tatyana. The hero himself does not really understand what is going on in his heart. The non-personal conflict is Eugene as a product of the environment. He is a dandy, a playboy, an aristocrat. He can do nothing with these characteristics of his existence, even though he is immensely bored with living like this.

In addition to the types of conflict in traditional literary criticism, a typology of literary conflicts is distinguished. There are much more types than types and it is much more difficult to classify works according to them.

Type of conflict in a literary work

Speaking as simply as possible, the type of conflict is the soil on which it arose, the sphere of existence of the contradiction. There are the following types of literary conflicts: psychological, social, love, symbolic, philosophical and ideological, there may be more, depending on the classification.

Psychological conflict It is almost certainly also an internal conflict. This type of conflict is often used in Romantic literature and in the modern intellectual novel. For example, double life the concierges from Barbary Muriel's The Elegance of the Hedgehog. A woman has a developed mind and subtle artistic taste, but considers himself obliged to comply with the simple and rude image a dim-witted woman, because she left school at the age of 12 and worked all her life as a low-skilled worker.

Social conflict is a conflict public relations. For example, you can take early work Dostoevsky "Poor people". Makar Devushkin's poverty clashes with his desire to help another disadvantaged being, Varvara. As a result, he drives himself into an even more disastrous state, and is unable to help the girl. His good intentions are shattered by social injustice.

love conflict are interactions between two loving friend friend characters or confrontation loving - the rest of the world. This, of course, is Romeo and Juliet.

Symbolic conflict It is a conflict between the image and the real world. As an example, we can take Guillaume Apollinaire's play "Breasts Theresa". Enters into conflict real world where Teresa is a girl and the world is surreal, where she releases her breasts - Balloons into the sky and becomes a man - Teresius.

philosophical conflict- conflict of worldviews. An example is the worldview of the Karamazov brothers from work of the same name Dostoevsky. They argue about politics, god and human nature at every opportunity, as their views are radically different.

Ideological conflict close to philosophical, but rather not aimed at comprehending the essence of things, but at attributing oneself to a group. Especially popular in the literature of critical eras. Thus, Russian prose writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries often resorted to ideological conflict to describe the pre-revolutionary years. Maxim Gorky in the story "The Song of the Falcon" allegorically contrasts the revolutionary (falcon) and the tradesman (snake). They will never understand each other, since the element of one is freedom, and the other is vegetation in the earth and dust.

As well as types, there can be several types of conflicts in one work. But here one must feel the fine line between a rich, versatile work that touches on various topics, and superficial reading, which is obtained when the author tries to use absolutely all the literary resources known to him, regardless of expediency. In writing, taste and measure are very important.

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 could be like supernatural powers, 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 say 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 the conflict develops when the heroes 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: « Main character+ its 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 has to find 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 small town, and this is the only school, but there is no opportunity 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 this 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 simply 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 species 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 accept complex decisions and choose how to respond 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.

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 in question when it comes to talking about some ideological clash in a particular book. The conflict in literature is the confrontation of the characters of the heroes with external reality. Fight in fictional world can last 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 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, one can recall this wonderful work.

Anna Karenina shows a twofold conflict. It is he who does not allow the main character to recover and look differently at the circumstances. 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, has no right to take the child with her to 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 piece 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.

Passive lifestyle 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 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 sometimes presented on such a broad scale 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 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. Main character- Harry Haller - out of touch with 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. Surrounding reality seems to him a picture devoid of meaning.

Thus, when answering the question, what is a conflict in literature, it is necessary to take into account inner world Main character. The worldview of one character is very often opposed to the surrounding society.

Recently I read a response from one author that was amazing in its naivety. To the reader’s reproach, they say, the conflict in your story was not convincing, the author on blue eye wrote: and I didn’t have any conflict, my heroine is a very peaceful woman and doesn’t quarrel with anyone.
Well, what can I say? Just sit down and write another article(smiley).
I apologize to the old-timers of K2, I'll start with what you know well, you can run diagonally))) But at the end I promise something new - about the types of conflicts in a literary work.

In everyday life, we understand a conflict as something like a quarrel - and a sharp quarrel, at least with screams, and even with the involvement of physical force.
A literary conflict is not a quarrel between characters.
A literary conflict is a contradiction that forms a plot.
No conflict, no work.

Thus, if in real life a person can be proud of the fact that he is “non-conflict”, then for the author it is rather a disadvantage. good author should be able to create a conflict, develop it and end it intelligibly.
That's what we'll talk about.

First - about the TYPOLOGY of literary conflicts.

Distinguish between internal and external conflicts.

For example, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
Typical external conflict- there is a hero who, by the will of fate, ended up on a desert island, and there is an environment, as they say, in pure form. Nature becomes the enemy of man. There is no social background in the novel. The hero does not fight either social prejudices or the opposition of social ideas - the survival of the hero as a biological organism is at stake.
The hero is completely alone - he is opposed by a world to which moral laws do not apply. Storm, hurricane, scorching sun, famine, wild flora and fauna exist on their own. To survive, the hero has to accept the conditions of the game, not being able to change them. Conflict \u003d disagreement, contradiction, clash, sharp struggle, embodied in the plot of a literary work? Undoubtedly.

The next type of conflict is also external, but already with society = conflict as a contradiction between individuals/groups.
Chatsky against the Famus society, Malchish-Kibalchish against the bourgeoisie, Don Quixote against the world.

It is not necessary that the main figure of the confrontation should be the person.
An example is Chingiz Aitmatov's novel "The Block". The conflict of a man and a pair of wolves who lost their cubs through the fault of a man. Wolves are opposed to man, humanized, endowed with nobility and high moral strength, which people are deprived of.

The source of the conflict is the discrepancy between the interests of society (globally) and the interests of a particular individual.

For example, Rasputin's story "Farewell to Matera". A dam is being built on the Angara, and the village of Matera, which has existed for three hundred years, will be flooded.
The main character, grandmother Daria, who has lived her whole life without fail and selflessly, suddenly raises her head, begins to actively resist - she directly enters the battle for the village, armed with a stick.

In addition to the interests of society = a group of people, the character can be opposed by the private interests of individuals.
The field mouse forces Thumbelina to marry the neighbor Mole, and the evil Stapleton wants to kill Sir Baskerville.

Of course, there are no purely external conflicts. Any external conflict is accompanied by the development in the soul of the hero of conflicting feelings, desires, goals, etc. That is, they talk about INTERNAL CONFLICT, which makes the character more voluminous, and, accordingly, the whole story is more interesting.

The skill of the author lies precisely in creating a pool of conflicts = points of intersection of the interests of the characters and convincingly showing their development.
All world literature is a collection of conflicts. But with all the diversity, there are main points on which the plot is built.

First of all, this is the OBJECT OF CONFLICT, that is, what caused the confrontation between the characters.
It could be material objects(inheritance, property, money, etc.) and intangible = abstract ideas (lust for power, rivalry, revenge, etc.). In any case, the conflict in the work is always a conflict of values ​​of the characters.

Here we are faced with the second reference point– PARTICIPANTS OF THE CONFLICT, that is, characters.

As we remember, there are main and secondary characters. Gradation takes place precisely according to the degree of involvement of the actor in the conflict.
The main characters are those whose interests underlie the confrontation. For example, Petrusha Grinev and Shvabrin, Pechorin and Grushnitsky, Soames Forsyth and his wife Irene.
All the rest are secondary, they can be part of a “support group” (=be closer to the main characters) or simply shade the events (=serve as a “volumetric background”).
The more a character can influence an event, the higher his rank in the gradation of actors.
In a truly good work, there are never "empty" characters. Each actor at a certain moment throws firewood into the conflict, and the number of "throws" is directly proportional to the character's rank.

Characters need MOTIVATION to participate in conflict.
That is, the author must clearly understand what goals this or that character wants to achieve.

The motive and the object of the conflict are two different things.
For example, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the subject of the conflict is material (money and estate).
The motive of Sir Baskerville (the one who is a nephew) is to return to his homeland (as you remember, he sought happiness in Canada) and, having become a wealthy person, lead a life befitting an English gentleman.
Stapleton's motive is to eliminate competitors (in the person of an uncle and a real nephew) and also become rich.
Dr. Mortimer's motive is to fulfill the will of his friend, Charles Baskerville (uncle), to observe the laws of inheritance and take care of Henry Baskerville (nephew).
Sherlock Holmes' motive is to get to the bottom of the truth. Well, and so on.
As you can see, the subject is the same, it is equally significant for all the characters, but the motives differ.
These are the motive of power (Stapleton), the motive of achievement (Stapleton, Henry Baskerville), the motive of self-assertion (Stapleton, Henry Baskerville, Sherlock Holmes), the motive of duty and responsibility (Dr. a person likes it (Sherlock Holmes), etc.
Each of the characters is sure that he is right, even if he is objectively (? - from the point of view of the reader) wrong. The author can sympathize with any character. The author can express his sympathy with the help of a focal.
Let's try to look at the conflict of the "Hounds of the Baskervilles" a little from the other side. Stapleton was also from the Baskerville family, and therefore had the same (or almost the same) rights to the inheritance. However, Conan Doyle denounces the methods that Stapleton uses. Therefore, events are shown to a lesser extent through the eyes of Stapleton, to a greater extent - through the eyes of his opponents. Due to this, greater empathy for Henry Baskerville is achieved.

We return to our topic - the creation of a literary conflict.

We analyzed the PREPARATION STAGE - the subject of the conflict was chosen, the circle of participants was determined, each of which was assigned a weighty motive. What's next?

Everything begins in the emergence conflict situation, which occurs even before the story begins to unfold. Information about the premise of the conflict is given in the EXPOSITION of the work.
With the help of the exposition, the author creates the atmosphere, the mood of the work.

There was a woman; she feared how she wanted to have a baby, but where to get it? So she went to an old witch and said to her:
- I so want to have a baby; can you tell me where i can get it?
- From what! said the witch. Here is a barley grain for you; it is not a simple grain, not one of those that grow in the fields of peasants or that are thrown to chickens; put it in a flower pot and see what happens! (Andersen. Thumbelina)

Then something clicked, and the flower blossomed completely. It was exactly the same as a tulip, but a tiny girl was sitting in the cup itself on a green chair, and because she was so delicate, small, only an inch tall, she was called Thumbelina.

Based on the characteristics of the hero, we understand: there will be a confrontation between the individual and the environment.
Wednesday at this work represented by individual characters with certain characteristics.
The author puts the GG in difficult situations = stages of plot development.
What plot nodes = incidents does the author show us?
The first clash of the parties is the episode with the toad and her son (who symbolize the hostile environment).

One night, as she lay in her cradle, through the broken window glass a huge toad crawled through, wet, ugly! She jumped straight onto the table, where she was sleeping under Thumbelina's rose petal.

There is a characteristic of the character (large, wet, ugly). His motivation is indicated (“Here is the wife of my son! said the toad, took the nutshell with the girl and jumped out the window into the garden”)

The first stage of the conflict is resolved in favor of the GG

... the girl was left alone on a green leaf and wept bitterly, bitterly, she did not at all want to live with an ugly toad and marry her nasty son. The little fish that swam under the water must have seen the toad with her son and heard what she was saying, because everyone stuck their heads out of the water to look at the little bride. And when they saw her, they felt terribly sorry that such a nice little girl had to go live with an old toad in the mire. Do not happen to this! The fish crowded below, at the stalk on which the leaf was held, and quickly gnawed it with their teeth; the leaf with the girl swam downstream, further, further ... Now the toad would never catch up with the baby!

Did you pay attention? New forces entered the conflict - fish, characters in the rank of "support group". Their motive is pity.

In fact, from the point of view of psychology, there was an ESCALATION of the conflict - an increase in tension and an increase in the number of participants.

The next plot knot is the Maybug episode. Differences from the previous one (with a toad) - the volume is larger, there are dialogues, a "support group" of the GG opponent appears (other May beetles and caterpillars).

The tension builds up.
Thumbelina freezes all alone in a bare autumn field.

A new round of conflict with the environment (=with its new representative - the field mouse). The episode with the mouse is longer than the episode with the bug. More dialogues, descriptions, new characters appear - a mole and a swallow.

Note that the swallow is initially introduced as a neutral character. For the time being, her role in the plot is hidden - this is the intrigue of the work.

It is also worth noting the development of the image of GG. At the beginning of the tale, Thumbelina is very passive - she sleeps in her silk bed. But the conflict with the environment forces it to act. She runs away from the toad, after parting with the Maybug, she fights for survival alone and, finally, comes to protest - despite the prohibitions of the mouse, she takes care of the swallow.
That is, the hero develops in accordance with the development of the conflict of the work, through the conflict the character is revealed.
Each action of the hero triggers the action of his opponent. And vice versa. These actions, following one from the other, move the plot towards the final goal - the proof of the premise of the work, chosen by the author.

More on composition.
Escalation goes to CLIMINATION (moment highest voltage), after which the conflict is resolved.
The climax is the most intense moment in the development of the plot, decisive, crucial moment in the relationship and clash of the characters, from which the transition to the denouement begins.
In terms of content, the climax is a kind of life test, which sharpens the problem of the work as much as possible and decisively reveals the character of the hero.

The wedding day has come. The mole came for the girl. Now she had to follow him into his hole, live there, deep, deep underground, and never go out into the sun, because the mole could not stand it! And it was so hard for the poor baby to say goodbye to the red sun forever! At field mouse she could still admire him at least once in a while.
And Thumbelina went out to look at the sun in last time. The bread had already been taken from the field, and again only bare, withered stalks were sticking out of the ground. The girl moved away from the door, and held out her hands to the sun:
- Goodbye, bright sun, goodbye!

And here the intrigue, laid down by the author in advance, shoots out. The swallow, the “peacemaker” character, comes to the fore. IN critical moment, when the death of the hero seems inevitable, she takes Thumbelina to a beautiful country where creatures like the GG live (remember that the conflict was originally built on the dissimilarity of the GG to the environment).

The finale of the work is based on the description of the post-conflict stage. The contradictions were resolved (in this case in favor of the GG).

And again about the typology of conflicts, but now from the point of view of the plot.

Separate conflicts:
- static
- galloping
- gradual
- preliminary

Let's remember the heroine of the play "The Seagull" Masha - the one who always wears black and says that she wears mourning for her life.
Masha is in love with Konstantin Treplev, but he does not notice her feelings (or notices, but is absolutely indifferent to them). Here is the core of the Masha-Treplev conflict.
Chekhov very skillfully designates it, repeatedly returns to it, but does not develop it. Before us is a STATIC conflict. “Static” means “not moving”, devoid of active force.
Non-development of the hero is a sign of static conflict.

Masha's love lasts for years. She marries, gives birth to a child, but continues to love Treplev. Her feelings are unchanged, development (as changes) does not occur. During the course of the play, she becomes neither more active nor more passive in the manifestation of her love.
Static conflict is given intentionally. Masha is a typical (for Chekhov's works) heroine. He lives by inertia, as they say, goes with the flow and does not make attempts to become the mistress of his own life.

Of course, Masha cannot be called an idol/mannequin. Chekhov puts into her mouth a lot of weighty remarks that characterize other heroes and move the action forward. Masha's life still moves, but so slowly that it seems motionless.
The purpose of the introduction this character in the play - to set off the actions of other characters.
That is, a static conflict is not suitable for building on it (and only on it) the entire work - readers will die of boredom. However, static conflict is very suitable for a side plot line.

Now let's remember the hero of "Taras Bulba" - Andriy.
Andriy, just like his brother Ostap, is at first very pleased with life in the Zaporizhzhya Sich, showing himself to be a "glorious Cossack". However, during the siege of Dubna, he suddenly goes over to the side of the Poles.
This is the so-called LEAPING CONFLICT.

The key word here is “suddenly”, but be sure: the author has a surprise in store for the reader, and he himself perfectly imagined what path his hero had gone through. No person can change instantly. All character changes have their prerequisites in that very character and take some time to germinate.
Jumping conflict is a great temptation for an inexperienced author. With the help of such a conflict, you can achieve amazing dynamics of the work, but! The slightest inaccuracy in the depiction of the characters' underlying emotional experiences, the sequestration of episodes will lead to the fact that the reader does not understand the character's motivation = a logical hole is formed in the plot.

Gogol, by the way, very carefully prepared, as it were, a sudden transformation of his hero. Andriy met a beautiful Polish woman on the eve of his departure from Kyiv, had a meeting with her in the church, and on the way to the Sich he was thinking about her. Here are the character's underlying emotional experiences.

Thus, a jumping conflict is not a break in logic, but an acceleration of the mental process.

GRADUAL CONFLICT is a classic. It develops naturally and without visible effort on the part of the author. This conflict flows smoothly from the character of the hero.

Formally, the author shows the conflict through a chain of thoughtful episodes. In each, a certain effect is exerted on the hero. The hero is forced to respond with certain actions. From episode to episode, the impact intensifies, and accordingly, the hero changes. Small conflicts (the so-called "transitions") lead the hero from one state to another until he has to make a final decision.
An example is the same "Thumbelina".

No literary work can exist without PRELIMINARY CONFLICT.

The foreshadowing conflict gives the story the tension it needs.
The work must begin with an action that predetermines the main conflict.

So, in "Macbeth" the military leader hears a prophecy that he will become king. The prophecy torments his soul until he kills the rightful king. The play begins when Macbeth awakens the desire to become king.

SUMMARY

Conflict is the core of any literature, and every conflict is prepared, preceded by something.

Conflict can be found everywhere. Any aspiration of the hero can be the ground for a conflict. Bring opposites face to face and conflict is inevitable.

Exist complex shapes conflicts, but all simple base: attack and counterattack, action and reaction.
Conflict grows out of character. The intensity of the conflict is determined by the willpower of the hero.

Externally, the conflict consists of two opposing forces. In fact, each of these forces is the product of a mass of complex, developing circumstances that create such a strong tension that it must be resolved with an explosion = a culmination.

The points of development of the conflict (outset, climax, denouement) determined the corresponding elements of the plot (where they are characterized from the content side, the development and decline of the action are located between them) and the composition (where they are characterized from the side of the form).

A work without conflict falls apart. There can be no life on earth without conflicts. So literary rules is only a repetition of the universal law that governs the universe.

© Copyright: Copyright Contest -K2, 2013
Publication Certificate No. 213082801495
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