Techniques for Creating the Image of a Child Character in the Stories of V. Astafyev’s Book “The Last Bow”
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2023-1-113-122
In the autobiographical book “The Last Bow” V. Astafiev artistically comprehends the theme of childhood, which has already been noted by researchers. However, literary scholars, as a rule, concentrate on the analysis of the image of the central character and his grandmother. In our opinion, the writer’s ideas about childhood are also manifested through the images of secondary characters-children, relations with which reveal the originality of the autobiographical hero. The purpose of the study is to analyze the techniques for creating images of children (Vitya and Sanka) in the book “The Last Bow”. Material and methodology of the study. The material of the study is the stories of the book “The Last Bow”, which tell us about the relationship between two characters – Vitya and Sanka. The methodological basis of the study is the works on psychologism poetics, autobiographical prose by M. M. Bakhtin, L. Ya. Ginzburg, A. P. Skaftymov, A. B. Esin. A structural-semiotic approach is used to analyze the image of a character. The creation of images of Vitya and Sanka is based on psychologism techniques (portraiting, behavioral reactions in conflict or crisis situations, the transfer of an internal state through dialogic speech and internal monologues). At the same time, V. Astafiev uses elements of intertextuality, which make it possible to combine the social and everyday specifics of an autobiographical narrative with a conditionally symbolic generalization in the characters’ poetics (in the story “The Horse with a Pink Mane” the biblical motif of temptation is used, in the story “Dark Dark Night” - robinsonade plot, which implies self-determination in the conditions of being on an island). In the book “The Last Bow”, the stories about Vitya and Sanka represent a certain meta-plot in which the dynamics of the images of boys is determined by the process of their growing up, of formation of their personalities. The changes are especially showed in the image of Sanka. If in “The Pink-Maned Horse” he acts as a trickster-tempter in relation to the autobiographical hero; then in “The Photo I’m Not In” he is able to give up his interests in order to support a school friend.
Keywords: V. Astafiev, image of a child, artistic technique, autobiography, Russian literature of the 20th century
References:
1. Rybal’chenko T. L. Istoriya literatury XX veka kak istoriya literaturnykh techeniy [The history of literature of the twentieth century as the history of literary movements]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Tomsk State University Journal, 1999, no. 268, pp. 68–73 (in Russian).
2. Zheng Ya. “Posledniy poklon” V. P. Astaf’yeva: istoriya sozdaniya. Zhanr [The “Last bow” by V. P. Astafiev: the history of creation. Genre]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 9. Filologiya – Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 9, Philology, 2011, no. 4 (in Russian). URL: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/posledniy-poklon-v-p-astafieva-istoriya-sozdaniya-zhanr (accessed 23 February 2022).
3. Pozzorova N. Korni i pobegi. Proza 60–70 gg.; Literaturnyye portrety, stat’i, polemika [Roots and shoots. Prose of 60–70; Literary portraits, articles, polemics]. Moscow, Moskovskiy rabochiy Publ., 1979. 216 p. (in Russian).
4. Astaf’yev V. P. Posledniy poklon [Last bow]. Moscow, Sovremennik Publ., 1985. 543 p. (in Russian).
5. Bakhtin M. M. Estetika slovesnogo tvorchestva [Aesthetics of verbal creativity]. Compiled by S. G. Bocharov, note by S. S. Averintsev and S. G. Bocharov. Moscow, Iskusstvo Publ., 1979. 423 p. (in Russian).
6. Skaftym A. P. O psikhologizme v tvorchestve Stendalya i Tolstogo [On psychologism in the works of Stendhal and Tolstoy]. Nravstvennyye iskaniya russkikh pisateley [Moral searches of Russian writers]. Moscow, Prosveshcheniye Publ., 1972. Pp. 165–182 (in Russian).
7. Ginzburg L. O psikhologicheskoy proze [About psychological prose]. Leningrad, Khudozhestvennaya literatura Publ., 1977. 448 p. (in Russian).
8. Yesin A. B. Psikhologizm russkoy klassicheskoy literatury [The psychology of Russian classical literature]. Moscow, Prosveshcheniye Publ., 1988. 176 p. (in Russian).
9. Poleva E. A. “Uroki frantsuzskogo” V. Rasputina v kontekste tradittsii literatury vtoroy poloviny XIX veka o detyakh [“French lessons” by V. Rasputin in the context of the traditions of literature of the second half of the XIX century about children]. Tvorcheskaya lichnost’ Valentina Rasputina: zhivopis’ – chuvstvo – mysl’ – voobrazheniye – otkroveniye. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov. Pod redaktsiyey I. I. Plekhanovoy [Creative personality of Valentin Rasputin: painting – feeling – thought – imagination – revelation. Collection of scientific papers. Edited by I. I. Plekhanova]. Irkutsk, 2015. Pp. 212–220 (in Russian).
10. Poleva E. A., Pisarenko A. E. Priyemy psykhologisma v rasskaze V. Rasputina “Uroki frantsuzskogo” [Techniques of psychologism in V. Rasputin’s short story “French Lessons”]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta – Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin, 2016, vol. 11 (176), pp. 131–136 (in Russian).
11. Poleva E. A., Lomakina M. I. Methodika mezhpredmetnogo izucheniya khudozestvennogo svoyeobraziya rasskaza V. P. Astaf’yeva “Vasyutkino ozero” v sovremennoy shkole [Methodology of interdisciplinary study of the artistic originality of V. P. Astafyev’s story “Vasyutkino Lake” in a modern school]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta – Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin, 2018, vol. 6 (195), pp. 120–127 (in Russian).
12. Poleva E. A. Priyemy vizualizatsii v formirovanii motiva iskusheniya v rasskaze Viktora Astaf’yeva “Kon’ s rozovoy grivoy” [Visualization techniques in the formation of the motive of temptation in the story of Viktor Astafyev “The Horse with the pink mane”]. PRAΞHMA. Problemy vizual’noy semiotiki – PRAΞHMA. Problems of visual semiotics, 2019, no. 3, pp. 182–196 (in Russian).
13. Im En Im. Avtobiograficheskiye motivy v tvorcheatve of V. P. Astaf’yeva, 60–70-ye gody. Dis. kand. filol. nauk [Autobiographical motifs in the works of V. P. Astafyev, 60–70s. Diss. cand. philol. sci.]. Moscow, 1999 (in Russian). URL: https://www.dissercat.com/content/avtobiograficheskie-motivy-v-tvorchestve-v-p-astafeva-60-e-70-e-gody (accessed 12 May 2022).
14. Bedrikova M. L. Osobennosti psikhologisma russkoy prozy vtoroy poloviny 1980-kh: tvorchestvo V. Astaf’yeva i V. Rasputina. Dis. kand. filol. nauk [Features of the psychologism of Russian prose in the second half of the 1980s: the work of V. Astafyev and V. Rasputin. Diss. cand. philol. sci.]. Moscow, 1995 (in Russian). URL: http://www.dissercat.com/content/osobennosti-psikhologizma-russkoi-prozy-vtoroi-poloviny-1980-kh-godov-tvorchestvo-v-astafeva#ixzz4I2hJQACR (accessed 12 March 2022).
15. Meshalkin A. N. Svoyeobraziye khudozhestvenno-filosofskogo voploshcheniya temy detstva v povesti V. Astaf’yeva “Posledniy poklon” [The originality of the artistic and philosophical embodiment of the theme of childhood in V. Astafyev’s novel “The Last Bow”]. Vestnik Kostromskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta – Bulletin of Kostroma State University, 2001, no. 4, pp. 60–61 (in Russian).
16. Meshalkin A. N. Zavetnaya kniga V. P. Astaf’yeva: mir detstva, dobra i krasoty v povesti “Posledniy poklon” [The treasured book of V. P. Astafyev: the world of childhood, goodness and beauty in the story “The Last Bow”]. Literatura v shkole – Literature at school, 2007, no. 3, pp. 18–21 (in Russian).
17. Zhukova N. D., Vityk Yu. I. Khudozhestvennaya realizatsiya temy detstva v knige Viktora Astaf’yeva “Posledniy poklon”: k postanovke problemy [Artistic realization of the theme of childhood in Victor Astafyev’s book “The Last Bow”: towards the formulation of the problem]. Filologiya, sotsiologiya i kul’turologiya. Aktual’nyye nauchnyye problemy. Rassmotreniye, resheniye, praktika: sbornik nauchnykh dokladov [Philology, sociology and cultural studies. Current scientific problems. Consideration, decision, practice: collection of scientific reports]. Gdan’sk, Diamand Treyding tur Publ., 2015. Pp. 94–98 (in Russian).
18. Uminova N. V. Motiv detskoy lzhi v proizvedeniyakh sibirskikh pisateley [The motive of children’s lies in the works of Siberian writers]. Fenomen V. P. Astaf’yeva kak regional’no-natsional’noye samosoznaniye epokhi [The phenomenon of V. P. Astafyev as a regional-national identity of the epoch]. Krasnoyarsk, KSPU named after V. P. Astafyev Publ., 2017. Pp. 95–96 (in Russian).
19. Meletinskiy E. M. Kul’turnyy geroy [Cultural hero]. Mify narodov mira. Entsiklopediya [Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia]. Moscow, 1982. Vol. 2. Pp. 25–28 (in Russian).
20. Lipovetskiy M. N. Shaluny, vragi, drugiye... Trikster v sovetskoy i postsovetskoy literature [Naughty, enemies, others... Trickster in Soviet and post-Soviet children’s literature]. Detskiye chteniya – Children’s Readings, 2014, no. 2 (6), pp. 7–22 (in Russian). URL: http://detskie-chtenia.ru/index.php/journal/article/view/123/117 (accessed 23 February 2022).
21. Koz’mina E. Yu. Robinzonada kak raznovidnost’ geograficheskogo romana priklyucheniy [Robinsonade as a kind of geographic adventure novel]. Vestnik BGU – Vestnik BSU, 2016, no. 4 (30) (in Russian). URL: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/robinzonada-kak-raznovidnost-geograficheskogo-romana-priklyucheniy (accessed 16 September 2022).
( 729.31 kB ) 
( 715.14 kB )
Issue: 1, 2023
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: LITERARY STUDIES
Pages: 113 — 122
Downloads: 537