Description of Chichikov in Dead Souls. Essay “The image and characteristics of Chichikov in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

Definition

Allegory, according to the Bolshoi Encyclopedic Dictionary, - This literary device, expression with hidden meaning. IN strict meaning allegory is a synonym. In a more expanded interpretation, this is a statement in which the “letter” and “spirit” do not coincide, and may even be opposite. That is why in stories containing allegories, the meaning is not always “in the palm of your hand” - it needs to be seen, you need to correctly understand the idea that you wanted to convey to the reader. The same BES classifies irony and Aesopian language as allegories. On the other hand, feelings or other concepts that do not have a visible form, thanks to the use of allegories, become accessible and recognizable. Embodied in images, they help to express an abstract concept as accurately as possible.

Types of allegories

1. Personification (otherwise known as personification) – endowing inanimate objects with the traits of a living being: “revival” (“queen-night”, “sorceress-winter”) or the use of , applied to living beings, in figurative meaning towards inanimate objects(the music starts playing, the birch trees are whispering).
2. Indirect satire - works that show, ridicule, condemn the shortcomings of their time under the guise of transference of actions (, future tense or fictional worlds and persons. This may include, for example, “The Wise Minnow”).
3. – depiction of ideas, concepts in a certain image, the connection with which is established by analogy through certain . Many allegorical expressions have a mythological or folklore basis. Examples of allegories: lion - a sign of strength, hare - cowardice, justice - Themis with a sword and scales.
4. Euphemism - or expressions that replace words that are synonymous in meaning. Euphemism is characterized by softness and collectiveness. They are used in situations where other designations are undesirable (impolite, too harsh). Examples: face gay- gay, African American - black and others.

Application

Allegories are used very often in prose to add brightness and color to images, as a way to avoid banalities. However, trying to make your work memorable by using this technique, novice authors run the risk of encountering the opposite effect, since many of the most frequently used personifications and allegories have already become hackneyed. At the other end of the extreme - abundance and interweaving various types allegories, making the work extremely difficult to read and understand. It is important to find the “golden mean”, which in most cases is achieved through training and increasing creative experience.