Introduction to literary theory. Analysis of a literary work

Research work within each academic subject has its own characteristics and helps solve specific problems. This type of activity in the field of literature accustoms high school students to work independently with text, enriches the reading experience, helps to form evaluative positions, and make their professional choice.

Literary criticism examines a text from the perspective of its content, theme, idea, etc. Literary analysis determines what literary genus a work belongs to, what literary tradition it belongs to, what genre it belongs to, etc.

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Municipal state educational institution

Toydinskaya secondary school

Paninsky municipal district

Voronezh region

The topic of the speech at the August RMS for teachers of Russian language and literature

"Literary analysis literary text»

Teacher of Russian language and literature

MKOU Toydinskaya Secondary School

T.S. Khrenova

year 2013

Development of society, its spiritual and material spheres make the problem of communication extremely relevant today. The role of communication has also increased in the process of personality formation and development. Along with this, in the modern Russian school great attention began to devote themselves to independent cognitive activity students, which is the basis for self-development and further active work of schoolchildren in higher educational institutions. At the same time, most high school teachers are faced with the inability of students to independently investigate a particular educational problem, choose required material, refer to the works of scientists, express your point of view on an issue of interest. Thus, schoolchildren find themselves incapable of creative and research activities, the skills of which become necessary when studying at universities.

Today, the entire system of literary education, regardless of the program, is based on the analysis of literary text. This type of work is present at All-Russian and regional Olympiads, in the formulation of essay topics for final and entrance exams. That is why there is a need to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the text in literature classes at school, to conduct search and research activities that help schoolchildren interpret the work, deepen and expand the ability to understand it, and, most importantly, formulate their attitude towards it.

Usage research method when analyzing a literary text, it is the leading type of work in the process of studying literature in grades 5–11, as well as in extracurricular work on the subject.

The research method is designed to ensure, firstly, the creative application of knowledge, and secondly, mastery of methods of scientific knowledge in the process of searching for these methods and their application. Thirdly, it forms... traits creative activity. And, fourthly, it is a condition for the formation of interest, the need for this type of activity.

When working with a literary text in literature lessons, I organize students’ research activities, which include a level-by-level analysis of the work:

Culturological (the place of the work in the literary process);

Literary analysis (analysis linguistic means);

Linguistic analysis (analysis of syntax and morphology).

Work on developing primary skills in literary text analysis begins in the 5th grade. Observing the language and plot of fairy tales is the initial stage of learning to analyze a literary text. Also starts in 5th grade research in lessons devoted to the study of lyrical works.

Further analytical work continues with the text, deepening and becoming more complex. In high school, complex text analysis takes on the features of scientific research work.

In school research activities, the actual discovery does not occur. But this does not mean that the student and teacher do not discover anything new. Final result- own interpretation of literary material (topics, problems), a new look at works of art. In order for this interpretation to take place, to be justified, reasoned, it is important for the teacher to find a topic, a problem in the solution of which the student can have his say, and direct the search by proposing a research methodology. The success of the research is largely determined by the topic. Addressing topics studied by literary criticism, classic ones for literary criticism, is undoubtedly educationally useful and interesting for a schoolchild who is passionate about literature.

Research work within each academic subject has its own characteristics and helps solve specific problems. This type of activity in the field of literature accustoms high school students to work independently with text, enriches the reading experience, helps to form evaluative positions, and make their professional choice.

Literary criticism examines a text from the perspective of its content, theme, idea, etc. Literary analysis determines what literary genus a work belongs to, what literary tradition it belongs to, what genre it belongs to, etc.

Within the framework of the literary approach, the means of artistic expression are analyzed. Their absence can also be a means of expression.

Structure analysis literary work lies in what determines its composition - that is, the plot structure, the arrangement of parts, their relationship, etc. In addition to the plot, external aspects are also analyzed plot elements: lyrical digressions, inserted episodes.

When analyzing the plot structure, you should pay attention Special attention on the use of time and place in the story. The space in which the action takes place can be large, or it can narrow down to the tight confines of one room. Space can be real (as in a chronicle or historical novel) or imaginary. The writer also creates the time in which the action of the work takes place. It may span centuries or just hours. Time in a work can pass quickly or slowly, intermittently or continuously. It can be intensively filled with events or based on “empty”, eventless. It is symbolic if time in the work moves from spring and summer heyday to autumn sadness. This passage of time is characteristic, for example, of the world of Turgenev’s prose.

In literary analysis, the role of dialogues and monologues, portraits, landscapes, interiors, etc. is considered.

Analysis of characters, from this point of view, involves systematization and grouping. The simplest case is the separation of all characters on the friends and enemies of the protagonist. In more complex works There may be several such groups.

Lesson plan on literature in 7th grade.

Lesson topic: “Analysis of the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "Prayer".

Goals:

• Educational:

• Develop skills in literary analysis of poetic text
• Through the analysis of poems, discover new features in the character of M.Yu. Lermontov - a poet and a person

• Educational:

• continue formation monologue speech;
• realize mental activity, the ability to compare, generalize, analyze;
• develop cognitive activity.

• Educational:

• developing the ability to navigate additional literature;
• cultivating the skills of respectful attitude towards classmates, the opinions of others, an objective approach to assessing other people's knowledge, and compliance with disciplinary guidelines.

Equipment : portrait of M.Yu. Lermontov, handout Toolkit, copied for the lesson, (attached), prayer book.

During the classes.

1. Organizing time.

Let's write down the topic of the lesson in a notebook, the epigraph of which is taken from the lines of M.Yu. Lermontov: “My soul, I remember, from childhood I was looking for the miraculous...”

In addition to the textbook and notebook, today we will need teaching aids in our work, which lie in front of everyone on the table.

1. Updating.

We start the conversation with the topic of the lesson, where there are two keywords that are familiar to us: Lermontov and the poem.

• Let us remember what a poem is as a genre of literature? (children's answers) Now let's turn to the literary dictionary (2 pages of methodological manual) and read what a poem is

To understand and then read a lyrical work expressively, you need to examine it: analyze its form and content. Let's turn to the poem analysis diagram on page 2 of the manual.

• What should we analyze to understand the author's feelings and thoughts?

(Artistic media)

• What artistic means help the author convey his feelings and thoughts? The literary dictionary on page 2 of the manual will help you answer this question.

So, by exploring artistic means, you and I will understand the feelings and thoughts of the author, in other words, the author’s intention.

• Whose plan should we understand today? (M.Yu. Lermontova)
• What can you say about the poet’s personality? (lonely, sad, pensive, conflicted...)

Task for the guys: Let's continue to paint a portrait of Lermontov for ourselves. Let's see what made the poet say: “My soul, I remember from childhood

I was looking for something wonderful...”

To do this, let’s examine the poem “Prayer.”

1. Analysis of the poem.

• What theme is stated in the title of the poem?
• What will the poem be about? (about prayer, about God, about faith...)
• What is prayer? (a person’s appeal to God, see manual)

On the desk : According to the Bible (Christian book) there is

• Why does a person turn to God? (To find goodness, light, peace of mind, to cleanse the soul...)

• Why do you need to cleanse your soul? (see manual) According to the Bible, a person has

To get to heaven, you need to cleanse your soul of sins!

Write down in your notebook:Prayer is an appeal to God to cleanse the soul.

Here is one of these cleansing prayers that children used to memorize in the gymnasium.

(prayer “Our Father”, see training manual) Draw the children’s attention to the prayer book, which is at the exhibition. Read the prayer out loud.

• What does a person ask for in this prayer? (bread today, forgiveness of sins, not to lead into temptation (into sin, into unclean deeds)
• Who is he asking to be delivered from? (from the evil one, i.e. the devil)

On the board: So, From darkness to light

(pursuit)

Prayer is a talisman that protects a person from misfortunes.

Listen to “Prayer” by M.Yu. Lermontov (p. 93 of the textbook) and think:

• With what intonation is the poem read?
• What feelings does it make us feel?

On the desk:

• What are the “main” words in this poem? (which express the theme of faith)

Write down the quotes in your notebook:

• What mood do these words convey? (light, joyful, tenderness)
• Do you understand the word “gracious”? (bearing good, good)

See the manual: Grace (according to the Bible).

The power of grace is the power that brings a person hope for the salvation of his soul.

1. Analysis by stanzas.

• What state of a person’s soul is reflected in it? Which feelings are more? (sadness, sadness, difficult moment)
• What artistic means convey these feelings? (metaphor: " sadness is crowding ", epithet: "in a minute of life difficult")

But there is a silver lining - “wonderful prayer.”

• When does Lermontov's lyrical hero turn to God? (in difficult times, when the soul is dark)

b) Let's reread the second stanza of the poem.

• What mood are we seeing here? (more light, joy)
• What artistic means of expression does the author use? (epithets: gracious, consonance of living words, incomprehensible holy charm)
• What is described by these epithets? (the power and beauty of the “living word” - prayer) Or maybe a poem?

So, " living word“, according to Lermontov, cleanses, leads to God, to the light.

On the board: from darkness to light

V) Let's reread the third stanza.

• What is she telling us? What kind of mood does it bring? (joy, easy, light) Melancholy and languor go away, they are replaced by faith, hope, tears of relief.
• What artistic means convey this state?

Like a burden will roll off the soul - metaphor

Doubt is far away - an epithet

Easy, easy - epithet

I believe and cry – impersonal reflexive verbs

• So, what is the poet talking about in these three stanzas? (about the cleansing of the soul by prayer, about the movement of the human soul from Darkness to Light (to God), from Evil to Good)

And in addition to these thoughts conveyed to our mind, Lermontov also addresses our feelings, he wants us to empathize with the lyrical hero - this movement.

• How do feelings change? (from sadness and melancholy to faith and joy)
• How does this movement of the soul convey the structure of sentences? (each stanza is one complicated complex sentence. The comma moves forward - from darkness to light. The same opposition of darkness and light is conveyed by antonyms (in stanzas 1 and 3: difficult - easy, sadness is crowding - the burden will roll away)
• What's the name of this one? artistic technique? (antithesis)
• So, what feelings and thoughts does the author convey to us through form?

1. Now let's read the poem expressively, trying to convey thoughts and feelings lyrical hero.
2. What new have we learned about the personality of M.Yu. Lermontov? What features can we add to his portrait? (Believing in God, in Good, in Light)

Why does he turn to God? (does not find faith in himself, in those around him, in life - “acutely lonely.” It is not without reason that Lermontov wrote in 1831:

My soul, I remember from childhood

I was looking for something wonderful...)

And he finds the “wonderful” in the “living” word of prayer and poetry!

They still talk about the “living” word of Lermontov’s poems. Here are the words of D.S. Merezhkovsky (see manual)

Anyone interested in the portrait of Lermontov, a poet and a person, can read books about him (Lermontov Encyclopedic Dictionary).

1. Homework assignment: read the poem “Prayer” by heart expressively.

As an example of literary analysis, let us turn to the poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "Farewell, unwashed Russia...":

Goodbye, unwashed Russia,

Country of slaves, country of masters.

And you, blue uniforms,

And you, their devoted people.

Perhaps behind the wall of the Caucasus

I'll hide from your pashas,

From their all-seeing eye,

From their all-hearing ears.

1. The poem “Farewell, unwashed Russia...” was written in 1841 before the poet’s second exile to the Caucasus. Published only in 1887. 40s of the 19th century. characterized as a time of social passivity of society, which replaced the national upsurge of the people in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Decembrist uprising of 1825.

2. The work belongs to the mature stage in the work of M.Yu. Lermontov, the heyday of his poetic talent. In the 40s, such masterpieces of the poet’s civil lyrics were written as “January 1st”, “Both boring and sad...”, “Motherland”, “Clouds”, etc. The poem “Farewell, unwashed Russia... "reflects the traditions of Decembrist poetry with its high civic pathos and call for social protest. For this stage in the work of M.Yu. Lermontov was characterized by a sharply critical perception of reality, bitterness and the motive of loneliness, a feeling of deep inconsistency between dreams and real life. All these features are reflected in the poem under consideration.

3. The work refers to the lyrics and is characterized by a pronounced subjective attitude to the described reality. This is a lyrical monologue by the author, which contains a challenge to autocratic Russia. The work is distinguished by limited descriptiveness, rhetoric, and convention (cf., for example, a hint of total surveillance, eavesdropping, suppression of freedom, dissent - thanks to hyperbolization and the ability to turn a detail into a symbol: from their all-seeing eyes, from their all-hearing ears).

4. The work belongs to the genre lyric poem - this is an appeal to “the country of slaves, the country of masters.” The accusatory pathos of the work, its angry intonation and clear rhythm are formed not only thanks to the special vocabulary and syntax, but also to the poetic meter chosen by the author - iambic tetrameter. N.S. Gumilev said about this size: “Each meter has its own soul, its own characteristics and tasks. Iambic, as if descending in steps, ... is free, clear, firm and perfectly conveys human speech, the intensity of human will.” The latter is especially noticeable in the analyzed poem.

The factors of “unity of the verse series” and “its tightness”, noted by Yu.N. Tynyanov in poetry are fully characteristic of the work under consideration, which is distinguished by the harmonious correspondence of form and content, the accuracy of poetic word usage and the aesthetic motivation of syntactic constructions. Semantic richness, laconicism, lack of verbosity, rhetoric make up important features poems.

The theme of the poem can be described as civil, anti-serfdom. This is a work about the homeland, full of pain and bitterness for the people who are passive and oppressed by the autocracy. The poem is characterized by monologism, a tendency towards expressiveness and open evaluation.

6. The main theme of the work is the homeland and the fate of the Russian people. This is a cross-cutting theme in Lermontov’s poetry (cf. poems: “Russian Song”, “Autumn”, “Will”, “ Last Son liberties”, “You are beautiful, the fields of your native land...”, “I look at the future with fear”, “Motherland”, “Duma”). Unlike other works of Lermontov, where there is a contrast between the heroic past of Russia and the gloomy reality, the poem in question presents contemporary poet Russia with its despotic orders, worthy of denunciation.

7. The composition of a small poem, consisting of two stanzas, is simple. The key statement - a maxim that reflects the theme and idea of ​​the work, opens the work, built in the form of an excited monologue-reflection of the lyrical hero. The following presentation reveals and complements the meaning of the key statement. Thus, the general logical scheme of a poetic text includes a thesis and arguments (Scheme 6).

8. As for pathos of the analyzed poem, then it can be defined as a combination of tragic and satirical with elements of irony.

The pathos of the work is associated with the poet’s characteristic state of “transition” from romanticism to realism, their peculiar combination. The text reveals the author's reflection, his self-absorption, tragic discord with the surrounding reality, longing for the lofty, perfect, characteristic for the romantic. At the same time, the poem embodies specific historical details of a certain stage in the development of society, expressed in artistic form; the author openly criticizes the existing order of things in the spirit realism. In the current poetic work typical for satirical image conditional forms: paraphrase blue uniforms(about the royal gendarmes - guardians of the autocratic order, who wore blue uniforms); pasha(their ironic designation after the name of Turkish military dignitaries); all-seeing eye, all-hearing ears - symbols representing the brutal order in the country, based on denunciations and surveillance. Rhetoric, distinguishing the poem is expressed by the excited appeal “Farewell, unwashed Russia...”, the use bright epithets, synecdoche and periphrasis (blue uniforms), metaphors (unwashed Russia, wall of the Caucasus), hyperbole (From their all-seeing eyes, / From their all-hearing ears).

9. General emotional tone works - angry, indignant, painted with pain and bitterness for the desecrated people. The key images in the work are the images of Russia, the people and the tsarist gendarmes. If in the poem “Motherland” the poet admitted: “I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love...”, then the analyzed text reveals this “strangeness” and a special attitude towards Russia, reflecting a complex range of feelings: hatred and love, pain and bitterness. The evaluative epithet “unwashed”, i.e. dirty,- in the context of the poem it has the actual meaning of “trans. immoral, immoral." The following presentation reveals the essence of this through the use of contrast: country of slaves, country of masters. In shaping the image of a people silently remaining in slavery, an important role belongs to the epithet “devoted” (And you, their devoted people). Devotee - i.e. “full of love and fidelity”, humble. It is this circumstance that deeply outrages the lyrical hero, filling his heart with pain.

The images of the royal gendarmes are very expressive, formed on the basis of associative and semantic connections lexical means: blue uniforms, pashas, ​​all-seeing eyes, all-hearing ears. The image of the lyrical hero in this work is colored tragically. This is a brave, proud person, deeply suffering for his homeland, denying the obedience and humility of the people and the royal order. Regarding the chronotope, it is interesting to note that the poem presents images of the present time (“here” and “now”) - Goodbye, unwashed Russia... and the future: - Perhaps behind the wall of the Caucasus I will hide from your pashas... The image of space as visible and imaginary, large-scale and distant (Caucasus wall) is actualized in the reflections of the lyrical hero. In general, the figurative structure of the poem is aimed at expressing its idea.

I. idea works can be defined as active rejection and condemnation of autocracy and social passivity of the people. High civic pathos distinguishes this poem, which was perceived as a challenge to feudal Russia.

1. Artistic Features poems are determined by its ideological and thematic originality and high civic pathos. They have already been discussed in part in connection with the characteristics rhetoric poetic text. All visual and expressive means are aimed at creating an accusatory tone, being focused on key images. Techniques of rhetorical appeal and contrast at the beginning of a poem (Farewell, unwashed Russia, Land of slaves, / Land of masters) determine the subsequent artistic development of the text. The contrast is enhanced by the juxtaposition of images people and royal gendarmes due to synecdoche, periphrasis and expressive epithet:

And you, the blue uniforms, And you, the people devoted to them.

Using metaphors (wall of the Caucasus, unwashed Russia), hyperbole in the formation of a generalized image of autocratic despotism, total surveillance and eavesdropping (From their all-seeing eyes, / From their all-hearing ears) is very expressive and pragmatically effective.

Thus, a system of bright artistic means and techniques forms the figurative structure of the work, expressing its ideological content.

The poem is typical of the late poetry of M.Yu. Lermontov and reflects his individual stylistic features: romantic pathos combined with historically specific realistic authenticity in the description of social realities of the 40s of the 19th century, open social protest and rejection of the autocratic system; increased expression and variety of visual and expressive means.

Let's summarize:

Literary analysis constitutes the third stage of philological analysis of a literary text.

The object of literary analysis is mainly content work of art,

Immanent analysis of a literary work must be supplemented projection, taking into account the cultural and historical context of the era. Literary analysis includes the study of the time and circumstances of the writing of a work; its place in the writer’s work; definition literary kind works and genre; main issues; Topics; compositions; the pathos of the work and emotional tonality; figurative structure; ideas and artistic features.

Literary analysis complements and deepens the understanding of the content of a literary text and creative personality the author, obtained on the basis of linguistic and stylistic analysis of the text.

Main

1. Aspects of general and particular linguistic theory of text. M., 1982. S. 3-9; pp. 22-41.

2. Bolotnova N.S. Philological analysis of text: textbook. allowance / N.S. Bolotnova. – 3rd ed., rev. and additional – Flint: Science, 2007, - 520 p.

3. Babenko L.G., Vasiliev I.E., Kazarin Yu.V. Linguistic analysis of literary text. Ekaterinburg, 2000. Ch. I, Appendix 1.3.

4. Babenko L.G. Philological analysis of the text. Fundamentals of theory, principles of analysis: Textbook for universities. M.: Academic project; Ekaterinburg: Business book, 2004.

5. Bakhtin MM. Man in the world of words. M., 1995. pp. 129-139.

6. Volgina N.S. Text theory: Tutorial. M.: Logos, 2003.

7. Vinogradov V.V. On the theory of artistic speech. M., 1971. S. 105-129.

8. Vinokur G.O. Philological studies. M., 1990. P. 112-140.

9. Galperin I.R. Text as an object of linguistic research. M., 1981.

10. Esin A.B. Principles and techniques of analyzing a literary work: Textbook. M., 1998. Ch. 3.

11. Lotman Yu.M. Analysis of poetic text. L., 1972. S. 3-23.

12. Kazarin Yu.V. Philological analysis of poetic text: Textbook for universities. M.: Academic project; Ekaterinburg: Business book, 2004.

13. Kamenskaya OL. Text and communication. M., 1990. P. 5-18.

14. Kozhina M.N. Stylistics of the Russian language. M., 1993. P. 69-85.

15. Kupina NA. Linguistic analysis of literary text. M., 1980.

16. Kupina N.A., Nikolina N.A. Philological analysis of literary text: Workshop. M.: Flinta: Nauka, 2003.

17. Larin B.A. Aesthetics of the word and the language of the writer. L., 1974.

18. Likhachev D.S. About philology. M., 1989. pp. 173-207.

19. Nikolina N.A. Philological text analysis: Textbook for students. higher ped. schools, institutions. M.: Academy, 2003. P. 3-10.

20. Novikov L A. Literary text and its analysis. M., 1983.

21. Odintsov V.V. Stylistics of the text. M., 1980. P. 28-51.

22. Potebnya AA. Thought and language. Kyiv, 1993. pp. 124-157.

23. Russian literature: Anthology / Ed. prof. V.P. Unrecognizable. M., Academia, 1997.

24. Stepanov G.V. Language. Literature. Poetics. M., 1988. pp. 125-149.

25. Khalizev V.E. Theory of literature. M.: Higher. school, 1999. pp. 240-247.

26. Shansky N.M. Linguistic analysis of literary text. L., 1990.

(for organizing independent activities of students)

Compiled by: Sizykh O.L., literature teacher

Preface.

The purpose and objectives of literary analysis of a literary text.

Features of literary analysis of literary text.

Basic parameters of the text as an object of literary analysis of a literary text.

Comments on the performance of literary analysis of a literary text.

Literary analysis of a lyrical work using the example of a poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "Farewell, unwashed Russia...".

Preface

A feature of the modern stage of philological research of a text is the strengthening of its communicative orientation: the text is studied as a form of communication from the position of dialogue between the author and the reader. The communicative approach to the text significantly expands the understanding of it, its properties, units and categories, its structure, semantics, pragmatics.

The object of literary analysis is artistic text.

The problem of understanding and interpreting texts is key in philology.

At the present stage, literary critics N.S. Bolotnova, A.B. Esin and others highlight different kinds analysis of literary text: philological, linguistic, stylistic, literary.

Target philological analysis text - to show through the mutual dependence of the form and content of the text its meaning and cultural status. The features of philological text analysis include: historicism, anthropocentricity, cultural orientation, complex integral nature (attention to the form and content of the text in their mutual dependence), lexicocentricity. Philological analysis of the text includes linguistic, stylistic and literary analysis, as well as coverage of the cultural and historical context of the era. The philologist examines different aspects of the text as a complex multifaceted phenomenon in the process of linguistic analysis, stylistic and literary, which mutually complement each other, expand and deepen the idea of ​​the content of the text and the personality of the author behind it.

The goal of linguistic analysis of a text is “to show the means by which the ideological and associated emotional content of the work is expressed” (L.V. Shcherba).

The purpose of stylistic analysis is to consider the text from the point of view of linguistic and extralinguistic factors of style formation as a manifestation of stylistic convention and individual author's style.

The purpose of literary analysis is to identify the content of a literary text as a work of art in the cultural and historical context of the era.

The proposed educational and methodological materials are designed to help master skills and abilities literary analysis of literary text.

The purpose and objectives of literary text analysis

From the point of view of literary criticism, a text is considered as a work of art, formed in the broad literary and cultural-historical context of the era, reflecting a certain natural development of the literary process. The field of literary analysis includes both textual and extra-textual information: the study of the writer’s worldview, the process of formation of his creative personality, belonging to a certain literary movement, genre specificity of the text, compositional features, figurative system, themes and issues of the work, its main pathos and artistic aesthetic originality.

All this determines the range of tasks facing a literary scholar. In an effort to emphasize the uniqueness of literary analysis in comparison with linguistic analysis, V.V. Vinogradov (1954) noted: “The linguist starts from the analysis of the verbal fabric of the work. Literary critic - from the socio-psychological understanding of character.”

Analysis of an entire text is impossible without taking into account the relationship between form and content. Meanwhile, the substantive plan of the text has long been studied only by literary criticism and (partly) literary poetics, while the form of a work of art has been the object of attention of linguistics, stylistics, and linguistic poetics. However, only in the unity of consideration of the form and content of the text can one understand its artistic meaning. Determining it, ultimately, is the common goal of different types of text analysis, which, complementing each other, deepen the understanding of it in the reader’s mind. Each type of analysis of a literary text makes a certain contribution to the comprehension of its aesthetic content.

Purpose Literary analysis is the consideration of a literary text as a work of art that has cultural and visual significance and is capable of performing an aesthetic function.

Features of literary text analysis

What path does a literary critic take when analyzing fiction?

work? Let us compare the description of this process by A.B. Yesin: the first thing you need to do is read the work with an eye not burdened by dogmas, read it as if for the first time, while trying to find out what the writer is talking about to you personally. Then follows the usual path for literary criticism: interpretations in the first approximation and targeted analysis-rereading, with the goal of correcting, expanding and killing the primary interpretation.

Secondly, and this is the most important and practically necessary - it is necessary to determine the content dominants of the work, those properties of artistic content that unite all elements, that problematic-semantic core that ensures the systemic integrity of the content.

And, finally, thirdly, to check the correctness of the interpretation, one should turn to the analysis of the poetics of a given work, to the originality of its style, to the search for stylistic dominants."

In this case we are talking about immanent analysis of the text, as defined by V.V. Vinogradova. In the proposed A.B. Yesin is attracted to the procedure of literary analysis, firstly, by the important position for the modern educational sphere about the need to give an interpretation of the content of the text, entering into dialogue with it and with other researchers. Secondly, reliance on dominants (substantive and formal) is justified.

What are dominants? “...They can become not individual artistic techniques, but only those most general properties of the work, which are, as it were, artistic principles for constructing the whole, those organizing parameters that “permeate” all the content elements.” The researcher considers the types of artistic issues, types of pathos and the idea of ​​the work to be the dominant content. Following this path, the literary critic rationally organizes impressions, “translates” them into conceptual language and then complements and expands the interpretation within the framework of the direction given by the dominants.

It is quite obvious: in order to objectify his impressions, the researcher must turn to the analysis of the linguistic form and stylistic features of the text, i.e. immanent literary analysis of the text requires addition and linguistic justification.

It is no coincidence that V.V. Vinogradov spoke about two possible ways of studying a literary work: 1) “... starting from the concepts and categories of the general literary and linguistic system, from its elements and delving into the techniques and methods of their individual stylistic use...”; 2) “...from complex unity to a hundred dismemberment.”

In the process of literary analysis of a work, it is necessary to rely on a broad historical and literary context, i.e. immanent analysis must be supplemented projection(terms of V.V. Vinogradov). The competence of a literary critic includes knowledge of the history of the creation of a work and the literary fate of the author, his worldview and creative credo; an idea of ​​the literary process and especially of the corresponding stage in development fiction. This important background extra-textual information will allow a more accurate and deeper interpretation of the aesthetic meaning of the text.

It is known that a literary text allows for multiple interpretations, which depend both on the text itself and on the information thesaurus of readers, the level of their spiritual, psychological and speech culture, social experience and other factors.

Sometimes literary analysis is distinguished “by images”, “by elements”, “by the course of action”. Due to the systematic organization of the text, its coherence and integrity, any type of analysis is focused on comprehending the entire artistic content of the text and does not exclude coverage of its other aspects.

One way or another, the objective way to study the essence of a work lies through the analysis of its form, i.e. through linguistic analysis. In this regard, the analysis method of the famous literary critic M. Gasparov (2001) is interesting, which is based on the identification of three levels of analysis.

M. Gasparov distinguishes: 1) the upper level of analysis - ideological-figurative(it includes ideas and emotions, images and motives); 2) average level - stylistic(it includes analysis of vocabulary and syntax); lower - phonic(metrics, rhythm, rhyme, stanza). According to the author, analysis of the artistic world of a work refers to the highest level, the most important and “the most undeveloped level of the structure of a poetic work.”

Let's summarize:

From the point of view of literary criticism, a literary text is considered as a work of art studied in the cultural and historical context of the era.

A literary critic is interested in whether a text belongs to a particular literary movement, genre specificity, composition, figurative system, themes and problems of the work, its main pathos and artistic originality. Along with this, the extra-textual background is examined: the writer’s worldview, aesthetic credo, cultural and historical era and the circumstances of the creation of the text.

The tasks of literary analysis include the study of the artistic content of a literary work.

Copyright Competition -K2
Table of contents:

1. Techniques for analyzing literary text
2. Criteria for the artistry of a work (general and specific)
3. Evaluation of the plot of the work
4. Evaluation of the composition of the work
5. Extra-plot elements
6. Narration, description, reasoning as methods of presentation
7. Evaluation of language and style. Speech errors.
8. Character Evaluation
9. Appreciation of artistic details
10. Features of the analysis of the story as a form of fiction

A literary text is the author’s way of perceiving and recreating the reality around him.

The author reflects the world in a special artistic and figurative system. Through images, literature reproduces life in time and space, gives new impressions to the reader, and allows one to understand the development of human characters, connections and relationships.

A literary work must be considered as a systemic formation, regardless of whether there is an established system or not, whether this formation is perfect or imperfect.
When evaluating, the main thing is to grasp the uniqueness of the structure of a particular work and show where the solution to images and situations does not correspond to the plan, in a creative manner the writer, the general structure of the work.

TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TEXT

When analyzing a text, it is always necessary to correlate the whole with the particular - that is, how the general concept of the work, its theme, structure, genre are realized through the plot, composition, language, style, and images of characters.
The task is not easy.
To solve it, you need to know some techniques.
Let's talk about them.

The first technique is DRAFTING A PLAN for the work, at least mentally.

I refer you to the reviews of Alex Petrovsky, who always uses this technique. Alex retells the text. If we describe his actions in clever words, then Alex highlights the main semantic points in the text and reveals their subordination. This helps to see and correct factual and logical errors, contradictions, unsubstantiated judgments, etc.
“Translating” text into “your” language works very well. This is the criterion for understanding the text.

There is also a technique of ANTICIPATION - anticipation, anticipation of the subsequent presentation.

When the reader understands the text, he seems to assume. Anticipates the direction of development, anticipates the author’s thoughts.
We understand that everything is good in moderation. If the plot and actions of the characters are easily visible, reading such a work is not interesting. However, if the reader cannot follow the author’s thoughts at all and guess at least general direction her movements, then this is also a signal of trouble. The process of anticipation is disrupted when the logic of presentation is disrupted.

There is one more technique - this is posing PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS, which our dear Boa constrictor loves so much.

What happened to this minor character? Why did the other character do this? What is hidden behind the heroine’s mysterious phrase?
It is necessary that the required majority of these questions find answers in the text. All storylines must be completed, interconnected or logically terminated.

It is curious that the reader and the author seem to be moving in opposite directions. The author goes from concept to structure, and the reader, on the contrary, assessing the structure, must get to the bottom of the concept.
A successful work is one in which the efforts of the author and the reader are approximately equal, and they meet halfway. Remember the cartoon "A Kitten Named Woof"? When did a kitten and a puppy eat a sausage and meet exactly in the middle? You will laugh, but in literature everything is exactly the same.

What dangers await the authors = the most vulnerable link in the process. Reader - what? He snorted, closed the book and moved on, while the author suffered.
Oddly enough, there are two dangers. The first is that the reader did not understand the author’s intention at all. The second is that the reader contributed his own idea (instead of the author’s, which turned out to be on the side). In any case, there was no communication, no emotional transfer either.

What to do? Analyze the text! (back to the beginning of the article). Look where the miscoordination occurred, and the idea (theme\structure\genre) diverged from the implementation (plot\composition\style\character images).

CRITERIA FOR THE ARTISTICITY OF A WORK

They are divided into general and private.

GENERAL CRITERIA

1. Unity of content and form of the work.

An artistic image does not exist outside of a certain form. An unsuccessful form discredits the idea and may raise doubts about the fairness of what was said.

2. The criterion of artistic truth = undistorted recreation of reality.

The truth of art is not just the truth of fact. We often see how an author, defending his work (usually unsuccessful), puts forward an iron-clad (in his opinion) argument - I described everything as it actually happened.
But a work of art is not just a description of events. This is a certain aesthetics, a certain degree of artistic generalization and understanding of reality in images that convince with their aesthetic power. The critic does not evaluate the authenticity of realities - he evaluates whether the author was able to achieve the necessary emotional impact with the facts and images presented.

The author's handwriting is a synthesis of the objective and the subjective.
Objective reality is refracted in the individual perception of the author and reflected in the content, which the author reveals in an original form that is inherent to him. This is the author’s worldview, his special vision, which is expressed in special stylistic techniques of writing.

4. Emotional capacity, associative richness of the text.

The reader wants to empathize with the events along with the hero - to worry, rejoice, be indignant, etc. Empathy and co-creativity are the main purpose artistic image in literature.
The reader's emotions should be evoked by the image itself, and not imposed by the author's statements and exclamations.

5. Integrity of perception of the narrative.

The image appears in the mind not as a sum of individual elements, but as a whole, unified poetic picture. M. Gorky believed that the reader should perceive the author’s images immediately, like a blow, and not think about them. A.P. Chekhov added that fiction should be written in a second.

The criterion of integrity applies not only to elements designed for immediate perception - comparisons, metaphors - but also to those components that can be located in the text at a considerable distance from each other (for example, portrait strokes).
This matters when analyzing the characters' characters. There are often cases among novice authors when descriptions of a character’s actions and thoughts do not create a picture of him in the reader’s imagination. spiritual world. Facts dazzle in the eyes and imagination, but the whole picture does not emerge.

PARTICULAR CRITERIA

They concern individual components of the work - themes, plot, speech of characters, etc.

EVALUATION OF THE PLOT OF THE WORK

The plot is the main means of recreating the movement of events. The optimal option can be considered when the intensity of the action is determined not only unexpected events and other external techniques, but also internal complexity, deep revelation of human relationships, and the significance of the problems posed.

It is necessary to understand the relationship between the plot and the images of the characters, to determine the significance of the situations created by the author for revealing the characters.

One of the important requirements of artistry is the persuasiveness of the motivations for actions. Without this, the plot becomes schematic and far-fetched. The author freely constructs the narrative, but he must achieve persuasiveness so that the reader believes him, based on the logic of character development. As V. G. Korolenko wrote, the reader should recognize the former hero in the new adult.

The plot is a concept of reality (E.S. Dobin)

Plots arise, exist, are borrowed, translated from the language of one type of art to another (dramatization, film adaptation) - and thereby reflect the norms of human behavior characteristic of a particular type of culture. But this is only the first side of the relationship between life and art: plots not only reflect the cultural state of society, they form it: “By creating plot texts, a person has learned to distinguish plots in life and, thus, interpret this life for himself” (c)

Plot is an integral quality of a work of art; it is a chain of events that are inevitably present in this type works. Events, in turn, consist of the actions and deeds of the heroes. The concept of an act includes both externally tangible actions (came, sat down, met, headed, etc.), and internal intentions, thoughts, experiences, sometimes resulting in internal monologues, and all kinds of meetings that take the form of a dialogue of one or more characters .

Evaluation of the plot is very subjective, however, there are certain criteria for it:

- integrity of the plot;
- complexity, tension of the plot (the ability to captivate the reader);
- the significance of the problems posed;
- originality and originality of the plot.

Types of plots

There are two types of plots - dynamic and adynamic.

Signs of a dynamic plot:
- the development of the action occurs intensely and rapidly,
- the events of the plot contain the main meaning and interest for the reader,
- plot elements are clearly expressed, and the denouement carries a huge meaningful load.

Signs of an adynamic plot:

The development of the action is slow and does not strive for resolution,
- the events of the plot do not contain any particular interest (the reader does not have a specific tense expectation: “What will happen next?”),
- elements of the plot are not clearly expressed or are completely absent (the conflict is embodied and moves not with the help of plot, but with the help of other compositional means),
- the outcome is either completely absent or purely formal,
- V overall composition the work has many extra-plot elements that shift the center of gravity of the reader's attention to itself.

Examples of adynamic plots - “Dead Souls” by Gogol, “Adventures good soldier Seamstress" Hasek, etc.

There is a fairly simple way to check what kind of plot you are dealing with: works with an adynamic plot can be re-read from any place, works with a dynamic plot - only from beginning to end.

Naturally, with an adynamic plot, analysis of plot elements is not required, and sometimes is completely impossible.

COMPOSITION EVALUATION

Composition is the construction of a work that unites all its elements into a single whole, it is a way of revealing content, a way of systematically organizing elements of content.

The composition must correspond to the specifics of the work and publication, the volume of the work, the laws of logic, and a certain type of text.

Rules for constructing the composition of a work:
- the sequence of parts must be motivated;
- the parts must be proportionate;
- composition techniques should be determined by the content and nature of the work.

Depending on the relationship between plot and plot in a particular work, they talk about different types and techniques of plot composition.

The simplest case is when the events of the plot are linearly arranged in direct chronological sequence without any changes. Such a composition is also called a DIRECT or FABUL SEQUENCE.

A more complex technique is in which we learn about an event that happened earlier than the others at the very end of the work - this technique is called DEFAULT.
This technique is very effective, since it allows you to keep the reader in the dark and in suspense until the very end, and at the end, surprise him with the surprise of the plot twist. Due to these properties, the technique of silence is almost always used in works of the detective genre.

Another method of violating chronology or plot sequence is the so-called RETROSPECTIVENESS, when, as the plot develops, the author makes retreats into the past, as a rule, to the time preceding the plot and beginning of this work.
For example, in “Fathers and Sons” by Turgenev, during the course of the plot we are faced with two significant flashbacks - the background to the lives of Pavel Petrovich and Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. It was not Turgenev’s intention to begin the novel from their youth, because this would have cluttered the composition of the novel, and it seemed necessary to the author to give an idea of ​​the past of these heroes - therefore, the method of retrospection was used.

The plot sequence can be disrupted in such a way that events at different times are given intermixed; the narrative constantly returns from the moment of the action to various previous time layers, then again turns to the present in order to immediately return to the past. This plot composition is often motivated by the memories of the characters. It's called FREE COMPOSITION.

When analyzing a literary text, one should consider the motivation for using each technique from the point of view of composition, which must be supported by the content and figurative structure of the text.

Many shortcomings of composition are explained by violation of the requirements of the basic laws of logic.

The most common disadvantages of the composition include:
- incorrect division of the work into the largest structural parts;
- going beyond the topic;
- incomplete disclosure of the topic;
- disproportionality of parts;
- crossing and mutual absorption of material;
- repetitions;
- unsystematic presentation;
- incorrect logical connections between parts;
- incorrect or inappropriate sequence of parts;
- unsuccessful division of text into paragraphs.

It must be remembered that in fiction, following a step-by-step logical plan is not at all necessary; sometimes a violation of the logic of plot development should be seen not as a compositional flaw, but as a special technique compositional construction works designed to enhance its emotional impact. Therefore, when assessing the composition of a work of art, great care and caution is required. We must try to understand the author's intention and not violate it.

EXTRA-PLOT ELEMENTS

In addition to the plot, in the composition of the work there are also so-called extra-plot elements, which are often no less, or even more important, than the plot itself.

Non-plot elements are those that do not move the action forward, during which nothing happens, and the characters remain in their previous positions.
If the plot of a work is the dynamic side of its composition, then the extra-plot elements are the static side.

There are three main types of extra-plot elements:
- description,
- lyrical (or author’s) digressions,
- inserted episodes (otherwise they are called inserted novels or inserted plots).

DESCRIPTION is literary image the external world (landscape, portrait, world of things, etc.) or sustainable way of life, that is, those events and actions that occur regularly, day after day and, therefore, are also not related to the movement of the plot.
Descriptions are the most common type of extra-plot elements; they are present in almost every epic work.

LYRICAL (or AUTHOR'S) DISTRACTIONS are more or less detailed author's statements of philosophical, lyrical, autobiographical, etc. character; however, these statements do not characterize individual characters or the relationship between them.
Author's digressions are an optional element in the composition of a work, but when they do appear there (“Eugene Onegin” by Pushkin, “Dead Souls” by Gogol, “The Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov, etc.), they usually play vital role and are subject to mandatory analysis.

INSERT EPISODES are relatively complete fragments of action in which other characters act, the action is transferred to another time and place, etc.
Sometimes inserted episodes begin to play an even greater role in the work than the main plot: for example, in “ Dead souls"Gogol or "The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik" by Hasek.

ASSESSMENT OF SPEECH STRUCTURES

Fragments are distinguished in the work according to their belonging to any type of text - narrative, descriptive or explanatory (discourse texts).
Each type of text is characterized by its own type of presentation of the material, its internal logic, the sequence of arrangement of elements and composition as a whole.

When complex speech structures are encountered in a work, including narratives, descriptions, and reasoning in the interweaving of their elements, it is necessary to identify the predominant type.
It is necessary to analyze the fragments in terms of their compliance with the characteristics of the type, i.e., check whether the narrative, description or reasoning is constructed correctly.

NARRATION - a story about events in chronological (time) sequence.

Narration is about action. Comprises:
- key moments, that is, the main events in their duration;
- ideas about how these events changed (how the transition from one state to another took place).
In addition, almost every story has its own rhythm and intonation.

When evaluating, it is necessary to check how correctly the author has chosen the key points so that they correctly reflect the events; how consistent the author is in presenting them; whether the connection of these main points with each other has been thought out.

The syntactic structure of the narrative is a chain of verbs, so the center of gravity in the narrative is transferred from words related to quality to words that convey movements, actions, that is, to the verb.

There are two types of storytelling: epic and stage.

Epic way- a complete story about events and actions that have already taken place, about the result of these actions. Most often found in a strict, scientific presentation of the material (for example, a narrative about the events of the Great Patriotic War in a history textbook).

The stage method, on the contrary, requires that events be presented visually, the meaning of what is happening before the eyes of the reader is revealed through gestures, movements, and words of the characters. At the same time, the readers’ attention is drawn to details, particulars (for example, A.S. Pushkin’s story about a winter blizzard: “Clouds are rushing, clouds are curling... The invisible moon illuminates the flying snow...").

The most common flaw in the construction of a narrative is its overload with insignificant facts and details. It is important to remember that the significance of an event is determined not by its duration, but by its importance in meaning or for the sequence of presentation of events.

When analyzing the descriptions in work of art there is no rigid scheme. It is in the descriptions that the author's individuality is most clearly manifested.

REASONING is a series of judgments that relate to a specific subject and follow each other in such a way that others follow from the previous judgment and as a result, an answer to the question posed is obtained.

The purpose of reasoning is to deepen our knowledge about an object, about the world around us, since judgment reveals the internal characteristics of objects, the relationship of signs with each other, proves certain provisions, and reveals reasons.
The peculiarity of reasoning is that this is the most complex type of text.

There are two ways of reasoning: deductive and inductive. Deductive is reasoning from the general to the particular, and inductive is reasoning from the particular to the general. The inductive or synthetic type of reasoning is considered simpler and more accessible to the general reader. Meet and mixed types reasoning.

Analysis of reasoning involves checking the logical correctness of the reasoning structure.

Characterizing various ways presentation, experts emphasize that the main part of the author’s monologue speech is narration. “Narrative, story is the essence, the soul of literature. A writer is, first of all, a storyteller, a person who knows how to tell an interesting, exciting story.”
The author’s use of other speech structures that enhance the tension of the storyline depends on the individual style, genre and subject of the image.

EVALUATION OF LANGUAGE AND STYLE
There are different styles of different types of literature: journalistic, scientific, fiction, official business, industrial, etc. At the same time, the boundaries between styles are quite fluid; the styles of the language themselves are constantly evolving. Within the same type of literature, one can see some differences in the use of linguistic means depending on the purpose of the text and its genre features.

Linguistic and stylistic errors come in many varieties. We list only the most common and most common of them.

1. MORPHOLOGICAL ERRORS:

Incorrect use of pronouns
For example. “You have to be really lucky to win a big deal for a few rubles.” artistic canvas. It turned out to be technician Alexey Stroev.” In this case, the incorrect use of the pronoun “im” creates a second anecdotal meaning of the phrase, since it means that Alexey Stroev turned out to be an artistic canvas.

Use plural nouns instead of singular. For example. "They carry baskets on their heads."

Errors in endings.
For example. “A school, a bathhouse, and a kindergarten will be built here next year.

2. LEXICAL ERRORS:

Inaccurate choice of words, use of words that cause unwanted associations. For example. “Classes are held without warning, in a family atmosphere” - Instead of “uninvited”, “relaxed”.

Inept use of phraseological phrases.
For example. “Our troops have crossed the line” - Instead of: “Our troops have reached the line / Our troops have crossed the line.”

The use of expressions in relation to animals that usually characterize the actions of people or human relationships.
For example. “At the same time, the rest of the bulls gave excellent daughters.”

3. SYNTAX ERRORS:

Incorrect word order in a sentence.
For example. “Avdeev felt his heart beat faster with joy.”

Incorrect control and adjacency.
For example. “More attention needs to be paid to the safety of young people.”

The use of syntactically unformed sentences.
For example. “Her whole small FIGURE LOOKS more like a student than a teacher.”

Punctuation errors that distort the meaning of the text.
For example. “Sasha ran around the gardens with the children, played knucklebones while sitting at his desk, and listened to the teachers’ stories.”

4. STYLISTIC ERRORS:

- “office” style
For example. “As a result of the work of the commission, it was established that there are significant reserves for the further use of materials and, in connection with this, reducing their consumption per unit of production” - Instead of “The commission found that materials can be used better and, therefore, their consumption can be reduced.”

Speech cliches are a rather complex phenomenon that is widespread due to the stereotyped nature of thought and content. Speech stamps can be represented by:
- words with a universal meaning (worldview, question, task, moment),
- paired words or satellite words (initiation-response),
- stamps – style decorations (blue screen, black gold),
- stencil formations (keep an honor watch),
- stamps - compound words (giant stove, miracle tree).
The main feature of a stamp is its lack of content. A stamp must be distinguished from a linguistic cliche, which is a special type of linguistic means and is used in business, scientific and technical literature to more accurately convey the circumstances of an event or phenomenon.

EVALUATION OF ARTISTIC DETAILS
An artistic detail is a detail that the author has endowed with significant semantic and emotional load.

Artistic details include mainly subject details in a broad sense: details of everyday life, landscape, portrait, interior, as well as gesture, action and speech.

By means of a successfully found part you can convey character traits a person’s appearance, speech, behavior, etc.; to concisely and visibly describe the situation, the scene of action, an object, and finally, an entire phenomenon.

Artistic detailing may be necessary or, on the contrary, excessive. Excessive attention to detail, characteristic of beginning writers, can lead to a pile-up of details, which will interfere with the perception of the main thing and therefore tire the reader.

There are two characteristic miscalculations in the use of artistic detail:

It is necessary to distinguish artistic detail from simple details that are also necessary in the work.

The writer must be able to select exactly those details that will give a complete, vivid, vivid picture. By creating a text that is “visible” and “audible” for the reader, the writer uses real details, which in the work can be considered as detail.
Excessive attention to detail makes the picture motley and deprives the story of integrity.

Black Stick

SOME THOUGHTS OF AN ORDINARY READER ABOUT ARTISTIC DETAILS

FEATURES OF ANALYSIS OF A STORY AS A FORM OF A WORK OF ART

The short story is the most concise form of fiction. The story is difficult precisely because of its small volume. “There is a lot in small things” - this is the main requirement for small forms.

The story requires especially serious, in-depth work on the content, plot, composition, language, because... in small forms the defects are more clearly visible than in large ones.
A story is not a simple description of an incident from life, not a sketch from life.
The story, like the novel, shows significant moral conflicts. The plot of a story is often as important as in other genres of fiction. Significant and author's position, significance of the topic.

A story is a one-dimensional work, it has one plot line. One incident from the life of the characters, one bright, significant scene can become the content of a story, or a comparison of several episodes covering a more or less long period of time.
Too slow plot development, prolonged exposition, and unnecessary details harm the perception of the story.
Although the opposite case also happens. Sometimes, when the presentation is too laconic, new shortcomings arise: the lack of psychological motivation for the actions of the heroes, unjustified failures in the development of action, the sketchiness of characters devoid of memorable features.

N. M. Sikorsky believes that there is thoughtful and unjustified brevity, that is, omissions in the presentation of events that are easily restored by the reader’s imagination, and unfilled voids that violate the integrity of the narrative. It is important to notice when figurative display is replaced by simply informational messages about events. That is, the story should not just be short, it should have truly artistic brevity. And here special role artistic detail plays in the story

A story usually doesn't have many characters or many subplots. Overload with characters, scenes, and dialogues are the most common shortcomings of stories by novice authors.

The evaluation of a work is carried out in order to determine the uniqueness of a particular work.

The analysis is carried out in several aspects:

1. Correlation between execution and design (image as an expression of the author’s thoughts and feelings);

2. Visual accuracy (image as a reflection of reality);

3. Emotional accuracy of the text’s impact on the reader’s imagination, emotions, and associations (image as a means of aesthetic empathy and co-creation).

The result of the assessment is the creation of certain recommendations that will improve the unsuccessful components of the text that do not correspond to the concept, the general structure of the work and the creative style of the author.

A skillfully carried out transformation should not disrupt the integrity of the text. On the contrary, freeing its structure from elements introduced by side influences will clarify the idea of ​​the work.

During stylistic editing, inaccuracies, speech errors in the manuscript, and roughness in style are eliminated;
when shortening the text, all unnecessary things that do not correspond to the genre or functional affiliation of the work are removed;
during compositional editing, parts of the text are moved, sometimes missing links are inserted, which are necessary for coherence and logical sequence of presentation.

“You carefully remove the excess, as if you were removing film from a transfer, and gradually the bright drawing. The manuscript was not written by you. And yet you joyfully feel some involvement in its creation” (c)

Food for thought.

Here are two editions of the text of the beginning of L. Tolstoy’s story “Hadji Murad”.

FIRST OPTION

I was returning home through the fields. It was the very middle of summer. The meadows had been cleared and they were just about to mow the rye. There is a delightful selection of flowers this time of year: fragrant porridges, red, white, pink, love it or not, with their spicy sweet smell, yellow, honey and sharp-shaped - lilac, tulip-shaped peas, multi-colored scabioses, delicate with a slightly pink plantain fluff and, most importantly, lovely cornflowers, bright blue in the sun, blue and purple in the evening. I love these wildflowers with their subtlety of decoration and slightly noticeable, not for everyone, their delicate and healthy scent. I dialed large bouquet and already on way back noticed a wonderful crimson in the ditch in full bloom burdock, of the variety that we call Tatar and which people carefully mow or throw out of the hay so as not to prick their hands on it. I decided to pick this burdock and put it in the middle of the bouquet. I got down into the ditch and chased away the bumblebee that had climbed into the flower and, since I didn’t have a knife, I began to tear off the flower. Not only did it prick from all sides, even through the scarf with which I wrapped my hand, its stem was so terribly strong that I fought with it for about 5 minutes, tearing the fibers one by one. When I tore it off, I crushed the flower, then it was clumsy and did not suit the delicate delicate flowers of the bouquet. I regretted that I had destroyed this beauty and threw the flower. “What energy and strength of life,” I thought, approaching him...

FINAL OPTION

I was returning home through the fields. It was the very middle of summer. The meadows had been cleared and they were just about to mow the rye. There is a lovely selection of flowers this time of year: red, white, pink, fragrant, fluffy porridges; cheeky daisies; milky white with a bright yellow center “love it or hate it” with its rotten spicy stench; yellow colza with its honey smell; tall purple and white tulip-shaped bells; creeping peas; yellow, red, pink, lilac, neat scabioses; with slightly pink fluff and a slightly audible pleasant smell of plantain; cornflowers, bright blue in the sun and in their youth, and blue and reddening in the evening and in old age; and tender, with an almond scent, immediately withering, dodder flowers. I picked a large bouquet different colors and was walking home when he noticed in the ditch a wonderful crimson burdock, in full bloom, of the variety that we call “Tatar” and which they diligently mow, and when it is accidentally mowed down, they throw out the hay mowers so as not to prick their hands on it. I decided to pick this burdock and put it in the middle of the bouquet. I climbed down into the ditch and, having driven away the shaggy bumblebee that had dug into the middle of the flower and sweetly and sluggishly slept there, I began to pick the flower. But it was very difficult: not only did the stem prick from all sides, even through the scarf with which I wrapped my hand, it was so terribly strong; that I fought him. about five minutes, breaking the fibers one by one. When I finally tore off the flower, the stem was already all in tatters, and the flower no longer seemed so fresh and beautiful. In addition, due to its rudeness and clumsiness, it did not suit the delicate flowers of the bouquet. I regretted that I had in vain destroyed a flower that was good in its place, and threw it away. “What energy and strength of life, however,” I thought, Remembering the efforts with which I tore off the flower. “How he strenuously defended and sold his life dearly.”

© Copyright: Copyright Competition -K2, 2013
Certificate of publication No. 213052901211
reviews

Reviews

Analysis - Criticism third, positive

Quote - Evaluation of the plot is very subjective, however, there are certain criteria for it:
- the significance of the situation for revealing the characters’ characters;
...

Plot elements are stages of development literary conflict(exposition, plot, development of action, climax and denouement). The identification of these elements is possible only in connection with the conflict.

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Literary analysis is studying the parts and elements of a work, as well as the connections between them. There are many methods for analyzing a work, sometimes diametrically opposed (representatives of " formal method"and most structuralists practically ignore the substantive aspects of the work, and scientists of sociological and cultural schools, on the contrary, often neglect the analysis of form). Different literary scholars also structure literary texts differently, which directly leads to differences in the methodology and methods of analysis. The most theoretically substantiated and universal analysis seems to be that based on the category of “meaningful form” and identifying the functionality of the form in relation to the content. Such Analysis is aimed at understanding how a meaningful feature is expressed in certain features of the form, and vice versa - what content lies behind this or that formal device. This approach does not destroy artistic integrity a work, on the contrary, helps to comprehend the laws of its construction, the internal essential connections in it. An important issue is the question of the composition and structure of a literary work, as well as the attribution of an element (plot, conflict, image of the author) to form or content. The following set of analysis elements can be proposed. Within the content: topics, issues that contain some conflict; emotional value orientations of the entire work (in the terminology of G.N. Pospelov and his followers - pathos) and individual characters (tragic, romantic, satire, irony, etc.). Within the form: the depicted world, including details of a landscape, portrait, objective world, features of the organization of artistic speech (monologue, polyphony, specifics of narration and the image of the narrator). A composition that includes a plot, extra-plot elements, the correlation of individual images, the organization of artistic time and space (in the terminology of M.M. Bakhtin and his followers - chronotope), techniques such as re-antithesis, gradation, etc. The composition organizes the entire artistic world and reveals its subordination to a single ideological and aesthetic principle.

Analysis of the elements of the work for all its relative importance still is to a certain extent auxiliary. We can conduct a detailed analysis of all the elements and end up with only a register, a faceless characteristic that does not bring us closer to understanding the whole. For a living and deep analysis, primary attention should be paid not so much to the elements as to the properties of the artistic whole, to the principles of organization of the literary text. Especially it concerns artistic form, in which such properties (otherwise, style dominants) are easier to find and with which, as a rule, the analysis should begin. Typological properties of an artistic form include plot, descriptiveness, psychologism; fiction lifelikeness. Monologism and heteroglossia (polyphony), verse and prose, nominativity and rhetoric; simple and complex composition. The dominant properties of the content most often become the typological variety of problems and emotional value orientations. Depending on the specific case, they should be analyzed first. The synthesis is based on the results of the analysis, i.e. the most complete and correct understanding of both content and formal artistic originality and their unity. Literary synthesis in the field of content is described by the term “interpretation”, in the field of form - by the term “style”. Their interaction provides the greatest possible depth of understanding and experience of the work as an aesthetic phenomenon.