Fear in children's literary works. Faith in Providence

The theme of fear in literature. "Fear is the oldest and most powerful of human feelings, and the most ancient and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown "- these are the words of the founder separate genre fiction which was called the "mythology of horror" G.'F. Shop-raft. Literature dominated by the theme of fear has long become very popular and has firmly taken its place in culture.

What is horror literature as a genre? Horror literature is a species fantasy literature. Main Feature is the topic. Works of this kind necessarily imply a mention of otherworldly phenomena, objects, creatures. The presence of characters that are known from folklore and mythology is mandatory - the dead, ghosts, vampires, sorcerers, werewolves. At different peoples the world has many fairy tales, each of which opens for us the door to the world of the other world. literary tales different peoples also rely on folklore motifs. Here, for example, in the tale of V. A. Zhukovsky about the sleeping princess, the evil sorceress wished the princess:

In the sixteenth year

You will meet trouble;

At this age

Your hand is a spindle

Scratch my light

And you will die in the bloom of years!

Some tales are much more optimistic. The protagonist successfully copes with dangers, overcomes difficulties. And wins evil enemies thus avoiding death. For example, in A. S. Pushkin's fairy tale about the sleeping princess, the good sorceress opposes her skill to the evil machinations of the sorceress.

It will not be death, but sleep;

It will last three hundred years;

The deadline will pass

And the princess will come to life;

Will live long in the world;

Grandchildren will have fun

Together with her mother, father

To their earthly end.

But in other works, the inevitability of the intervention of otherworldly forces is so obvious that one has to come to terms with something terrible and unknown. “He wants to fool the devilish power, then he will faint; by God, faint!” (N. V. Gogol " enchanted place"). In the works where the theme of fear dominates, the real world is in close contact with the unreal, fabulous, otherworldly world. These worlds are very closely intertwined. Where is fiction, where is the truth, it can be difficult to make out. The world, in which there is something mysterious, unknown, seems very interesting, even if otherworldly forces look dangerous. The reader is well aware that everything that is said in the work is fiction. However, no matter how rational and skeptical we may be, we still remain interested in what cannot be explained in terms of common sense.

In most fairy tales, nevertheless, good necessarily conquers evil, no matter how terrible and frightening this evil is. And the reader is left feeling. that he himself escaped the real danger. Of course, it's not always that simple. Some tales are sinister in nature. May goodness win in the end. But if you read more carefully, then there is still a lot of evil in this victory. For example, positive main character, having defeated his enemies, cruelly takes revenge on them. Here the options can be very different. Enemies can be killed, and quite brutally. They can also be revenged by magical methods, that is, they can be turned into an animal, a plant, or even an object, such as a stone. Folk traditions different nations, mentioning the supernatural, are directly related to something dark and evil. The unknown seemed dangerous, threatening evil to man. mystical literature as special genre originates from the Gothic chivalric romance of the mid-13th century. If we talk about the Gothic novel as a variety mystical work, then to characteristic features This type of genre can be attributed to the scene - a medieval castle, where there are always ghosts. People fall under the influence of demonic forces. The fatalistic predestination of the victory of evil makes a person weak, vulnerable, absolutely defenseless. The mystical themes of the Gothic novel become very popular between the 16th and 18th centuries. However, if we talk about the gloomy Middle Ages, then we have to admit that the traditions of the Gothic novel here had their own characteristics.

In the Middle Ages there was a special understanding of death. Hunger, mass epidemics, low level of medicine and other circumstances were the reason that life expectancy turned out to be very small. Death was something ordinary for people, which led to a special perception of it. The theme of "Dance of Death" was very popular in culture. Pictures and engravings often depicted how Death leads people of different classes with him in a dance. It could be a peasant or a king, a priest or a wealthy gentleman. Such artists as A. Durer, G. Holbein the Younger turned to the "Dance of Death".

In the 19th century, the genre of horror literature can be considered already fully formed. In particular, it was at this time that the cult work of B. Stoker (1847-1912) "Dracula" appeared. This work has become a classic of horror literature. It served as the beginning of the appearance of a number of works about creatures with a special infernal magnetism - vampires. From the folklore of different peoples of the world, we know that a vampire is a revived dead man who feeds on the blood of the living. Legends that were common in Europe said that vampires sleep during the day and go hunting at night. Vampires can stay in the grave during the day. But more often, secluded dungeons are their favorite place to live during the day (old castles with numerous underground rooms are ideal for them). According to folk beliefs, suicides, witches, sorcerers, unbaptized or illegitimate children, criminals can become vampires. So is an ordinary dead person, if a cat suddenly jumped on him. If a vampire bites someone, then the victim, of course, will turn into a vampire herself. Russian classics also did not ignore the theme of vampirism. For example, A. K. Tolstoy has interesting works on this topic - "Ghoul" and "Ghoul Family".

In the story "Ghoul Family" the following explanation is given: "... ghouls, as they are called by Slavic peoples vampires are nothing else local residents like the dead coming out of their graves to suck the blood of living people. They generally have the same habits as all other vampires, but there is also a feature that makes them even more dangerous. Ghouls ... preferentially suck the blood of their closest relatives and their best friends, and when they die, they also become vampires, so according to eyewitnesses they even say that in Bosnia and Herzegovina the population of entire villages turned into ghouls. Mystical literature always relies on dark legends and myths. N.V. Gogol often used similar motifs in his works. For example, in the story “Terrible Revenge” there is such a scene: “The cross on the grave shook, and a dried up dead man quietly rose from it. Beard to the waist; on the fingers, the claws are long, even longer than the fingers themselves. Quietly he raised his hands. His face trembled and twisted. Apparently, he endured a terrible torment. “It's stuffy for me! stuffy! he groaned in a wild, not human voice.

Meeting with some otherworldly creatures generally does not entail anything good. This situation is clearly considered dangerous. However, creatures can be very camouflaged. For example, it doesn’t cost them anything to pretend to be an ordinary lamb, as it is written in Turgenev’s story. One day a man was driving late at night. And his path lay next to the place where the drowned man was buried a long time ago. It is immediately clear that this is not a good place. But Yermila (that was the name of the hero) still had nowhere to go. So he rode, rode, and suddenly next to the grave he saw a pretty white, curly lamb. Yermil decided to take the lamb. He got off the horse, caught the animal and was about to get back on the horse. But it was not there.

“Here Yermil goes to the horse, and the horse stares at him, snores, shakes his head; however, he rebuked her, sat on her with a lamb and rode again: he was holding a lamb in front of him. He looks at him, and the lamb looks right into his eyes. He felt terrible, Yermil, the kennel: that they say, I don’t remember that rams looked into someone’s eyes like that; however nothing; he began to stroke his wool like that, - he says: “Byasha, byasha!” And the ram suddenly bares its teeth, and to him too: "Byasha, byasha ...".

How can one not recall Tatyana's dream in A. S. Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin". Here we see a complete "set" of what could scare not only human XIX century, but also the modern reader. The monsters sit around

One in horns with a dog's muzzle,

Another with a cock's head

Here is a witch with a goat's beard,

Here the skeleton is stiff and proud,

There is a dwarf with a tail, but

Half crane and half cat.

Even scarier, even weirder:

Here is a cancer riding a spider,

Here is a skull on a gooseneck

Spinning in a red cap

Here the mill dances squatting

And it crackles and flaps its wings;

Lay, laugh, sing, whistle and clap,

People's talk and horse top!

Tatyana's dream is prime example foresight of the future. The thought of a possible foresight of the future always causes fear. In the poem by V. A. Zhukovsky "Svetlana" on Epiphany evening, the girls decided to tell fortunes. One of her friends, Svetlana, spoke about her sadness. Her dear friend is far away, the girl knows nothing about him. This makes her sad and sad. Friends thought that Svetlana should tell fortunes.

Here is one beauty;

He sits down by the mirror;

With secret timidity she looks in the mirror...

Apparently, the girl fell asleep. And she dreamed that someone entered the door and looked in the mirror. Svetlana saw her beloved: Let's go! The priest is already waiting in the church With the deacon, the deacons;

The choir sings the wedding song;

The temple is lit up with candles.

Svetlana and her fiancé galloped into the night. The girl's lover was silent. Suddenly, in the church, Svetlana saw a black coffin and a priest performing a burial ceremony:

Suddenly a blizzard is all around;

Snow falls in tufts;

Black Raven, whistling its wing,

Hovering over the sleigh;

Raven croaks: sadness!

Everything is gone. The girl was left alone. On the way, she suddenly saw a hut in which there was a white coffin and a candle in front of the icon. The bridegroom of the girl was in the coffin. The dead man was up, but White dove fluttered on his chest and he fell back into the coffin. Svetlana's dream turned out to be eerie. But she woke up and saw how brightly the sun was shining. And her fiancé drives up to the house, alive and well. The end of the piece is very optimistic:

Here are my ballads:

"The best friend to us in this life

Faith in providence.

The blessing of the maker of the law:

Here misfortune is a false dream;

Happiness is an awakening."

The topic of fear in literature is complex and multifaceted. Interest in it does not fade, and this is understandable. The rapid development of science and technology still cannot displace interest in the otherworldly. And let for the majority contemporary readers mystical motives seem to be something frivolous, they are essentially a very important and integral part of world literature.

On the basis of the considerations I have made above, I will not give here any inventory of emotions, no classification of them, and no description of their symptoms. Almost all of this the reader can deduce for himself from self-observation and observation of others. However, as an example better description symptoms of emotion, I will give here a Darwinian description of the symptoms of fear:

“Fear is often preceded by astonishment and is so closely associated with it that both of them immediately act on the senses of sight and hearing. In both cases, the eyes and mouth open wide, and the eyebrows rise. A frightened person in the first minute stops, as if rooted to the spot, holding his breath and remaining motionless, or bends down to the ground, as if trying instinctively to remain unnoticed. The heart beats rapidly, hitting the ribs with force, although it is extremely doubtful that it worked more intensively than usual, sending a greater than usual flow of blood to all parts of the body, since the skin instantly turns pale, as before the onset of a faint. We can see that the feeling of intense fear has a significant effect on the skin by paying attention to the amazing instantaneous release of perspiration. This perspiration is all the more remarkable because the surface of the skin is cold (hence the expression: cold sweat), while in the normal secretion of sweat from the sweat glands, the surface of the skin is hot. The hairs on the skin stand on end, and the muscles begin to tremble. In connection with the violation of the normal order in the activity of the heart, breathing becomes rapid. The salivary glands cease to function properly, the mouth dries up and often opens and closes again. I also noticed that with a slight fright there is a strong desire to yawn. One of the most characteristic symptoms of fear is the trembling of all the muscles of the body, often it is first noticed on the lips. As a result of this, and also due to dryness of the mouth, the voice becomes hoarse, deaf, and sometimes completely disappears. " Obstupui steteruntque comae et vox faucibus haesi» …

As fear rises to the agony of terror, we get new picture emotional reactions. The heart beats completely erratically, stops, and fainting occurs; the face is covered with deathly pallor; breathing is difficult, the wings of the nostrils are wide apart, the lips move convulsively, as in a person who is suffocating, the sunken cheeks tremble, swallowing and inhalation occur in the throat, bulging eyes, almost not covered with eyelids, are fixed on the object of fear or constantly rotate from side to side. " Huc illuc volvens oculos totumque pererra» .

The pupils are said to be disproportionately dilated. All muscles stiffen or come into convulsive movements, the fists are alternately clenched, then unclenched, often these movements are convulsive. Hands are either extended forward, or may randomly cover the head. Mr. Haguenauer saw this last gesture from the frightened Australian. In other cases, there is a sudden irresistible urge to take flight, this urge is so strong that the bravest soldiers can be seized by a sudden panic.

Essay on text:

Fear is one of the basic human emotions, which is also called a "genetically given physiological component." It sits in each of us and manifests itself in different ways: for some - in specific subjective experiences, for others - through the implementation of avoiding behavior.

In this text, B. Zhitkov raised the problem of overcoming fear. Arguing about this, the author gives two examples of how people won in extreme situations, overcoming fear. It is felt that the writer is proud of his friends, who, for the sake of a great goal, overcame, first of all, their fears. This is how heroes appear in our lives - brave, selfless, courageous.

I fully agree with the author and I believe that every person has the right to be proud of himself if he managed to cope with his own phobias. And it doesn’t have to be extreme situations, sometimes it’s important to overcome your fear in everyday life. After all, "whiners" and cowards cause only worthless pity, nothing more.

If we talk about the theme of fear in literature, then it is a basic concept for such genres of mystical prose as a horror novel, gothic novel or short story. More than realistic works. I would like to dwell on the story of M. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man". Its protagonist Andrey Sokolov recalls how, in captivity, the commandant of the concentration camp Müller offered him a drink to the victory of German weapons, but Sokolov refused. For this, he was granted not only life, but also a ration, which Andrei shared with his cellmates. Was Sokolov scared? Of course, because it was about the execution. But the hero did not compromise moral principles and won.

But in another work on the theme of the Great Patriotic War V. Bykov "Sotnikov" shows how a person could not overcome his own fear and involuntarily became a traitor. But this hero does not pity us, but contempt. Rybak and Sotnikov went on reconnaissance, but fell into the hands of the Germans. And if Sotnikov courageously remained silent during the torture, then Rybak, seeing the body of Sotnikov mutilated during the torture, was so frightened that out of fear he did not even understand how he had betrayed his comrades, hung his partner and went over to the side of the Germans. Realizing that there was no forgiveness for him, Rybak tried to hang himself in the toilet, but the Lord did not even accept this sacrifice - the rope burst. So, probably, Rybak suffered all his later life, like a gudgeon from a fairy tale by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, who "lived and trembled - that's all."

A person cannot exist without a sense of fear, he has it from birth. But you can always overcome your fear. This is what Russian literature teaches us, National history, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers who fought. Because behind every overpowered fear there is a victory. Above oneself. Above the enemy. over fascism.

Text by B. Zhitkov:

(1) I thought about her a lot. (2)Especially in childhood. (3) It's good to be brave: everyone respects, while others are afraid. (4) And most importantly, I thought, there is never this foul trembling in the soul, when the legs themselves pull to run, otherwise they become so weak from trembling that the knees are shaking, and, it seems, it’s better to lie down and dig into the ground alive. (5) And I was not so much afraid of the danger itself, but of the fear itself, because of which so many mean things are done in the world. (6) And I knew that in French "coward" and "scoundrel" - one word - "lyash". (7) How many friends, comrades, how much the most priceless truth is betrayed because of cowardice ... (I thought: ...)

(8) I had a chauffeur friend. (9) Two people approached him at night, and he took off his fur jacket and boots and ran home undressed as a bunny in the cold ... (10) When the war began in 1941, he was mobilized. (11) And two months later I found out: I was flying on a motorcycle with a report to the neighboring part. (12) If they don’t take them, they will surround them, cut them off. (13) Shooting along the way from the forest. (14) They pierce their legs - they stepped on the gas. (15) They pierce a tank of gasoline. (16) He plugged the hole on the go with a handkerchief, pressed it with his finger, ruled with one hand and pen, pen ... (17) I thought more about gasoline: than about the blood that flowed from my leg: I would have to take it in time. (18) And what is easier: to become. (19) They would be taken prisoner, bandaged, sent to the hospital. (20) Yes, this time the spirit was not propped up with a fur jacket. (21) Or here's the case with my friend Captain Erokhin. (22) He was given a load of bartholite salt in barrels. (23) When unloading at the pier, this salt ignited in the hold from impact. (24) Bertolet's salt releases oxygen, so it gives strength to the fire - this is the time. (25) And the second - it blows up. (26) Better than gunpowder. (27) Ahnet - and only shards from the steamer. (28) It will explode like a grenade. (29) A minute later, the flame was already above the masts. (30) The whole team has a natural movement - to the shore and running without looking back from this floating projectile. (31) And the shore was empty: everyone knew that the ship would explode, it would not be good on the shore either. (32) And then the captain's voice: fill it up. (33) And the captain became redder than fire and louder than flame. (34) And no one left. (35) The engine team did not leave their seats, and they gave water, they gave hoses to the hold, and people worked with a monkey grip. (36) And flooded.

(37) Half an hour later, the fire brigade arrived. (38) Erokhin didn’t let her on board: after a fight, they don’t wave their fists. (39) What did his spirit rely on? (40) But after all, every captain, having accepted the ship, feels that in him, in this ship, his honor and life. (41) No wonder they say: Boris Ivanovich is walking when they see the steamer, whose captain is Boris Ivanovich. (42) And it is tightly screwed up in the captain, and every sailor knows this as soon as he enters the ship: the captain and the ship are one. (43) And it was not the steamer that burned, Erokhin himself burned. (44) It was this feeling that propped up his spirit. (45) And then they said: how carefully Erokhin walks ... (46) A little does not believe the map - right upside down in the sea and around. (47) Are you cowardly?

(According to B. Zhitkov)

1. Horror literature as a genre of fantasy.
2. The world of fairy tales.
3. Features of the Gothic novel.
4. Legends and myths.
5. Mystical motives in Russian classics.

“Fear is the oldest and strongest of human feelings, and the most ancient and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown” - these are the words of the founder of a separate genre of science fiction, which was called the “mythology of horror” by H. F. Lovecraft. Literature dominated by the theme of fear has long become very popular and has firmly taken its place in culture. What is horror literature as a genre? (The English horror literature or simply horror is often used). Horror literature is a type of fantasy literature. The main feature is the theme. Works of this kind necessarily imply a mention of otherworldly phenomena, objects, creatures. The presence of characters that are known from folklore and mythology is mandatory - the dead, ghosts, vampires, sorcerers, werewolves. Different peoples of the world have many fairy tales, each of which opens the door for us to the world of the other world. Literary tales of different nations are also based on folklore motifs. Here, for example, in the tale of V. A. Zhukovsky about the sleeping princess, the evil sorceress wished the princess:

In the sixteenth year
You will meet trouble;
At this age
Your hand is a spindle
Scratch, my light
And you will die in the bloom of years!

Some tales are much more optimistic. The protagonist successfully copes with dangers, overcomes difficulties. And he defeats evil enemies, thereby escaping from death. For example, in A. S. Pushkin's fairy tale about the sleeping princess, the good sorceress opposes her skill to the evil machinations of the sorceress.

It will not be death, but sleep;
It will last three hundred years;
The deadline will pass
And the princess will come to life;
Will live long in the world;
Grandchildren will have fun
Together with her mother, father
To their earthly end.

But in other works, the inevitability of the intervention of otherworldly forces is so obvious that one has to come to terms with something terrible and unknown. “He wants to fool the devilish power, then he will faint; by God, faint!” (N. V. Gogol "The Enchanted Place"). In the works where the theme of fear dominates, the real world is in close contact with the unreal, fabulous, otherworldly world. These worlds are very closely intertwined. Where is fiction, where is the truth, it can be difficult to make out. The world, in which there is something mysterious, unknown, seems very interesting, even if otherworldly forces look dangerous. The reader is well aware that everything that is said in the work is fiction. However, no matter how rational and skeptical we may be, we still remain interested in what cannot be explained in terms of common sense.

In most fairy tales, nevertheless, good necessarily conquers evil, no matter how terrible and frightening this evil is. And the reader is left with the feeling that he himself escaped the real danger. Of course, it's not always that simple. Some tales are sinister in nature. May goodness win in the end. But if you read more carefully, then there is still a lot of evil in this victory. For example, a positive protagonist, having defeated his enemies, brutally takes revenge on them. Here the options can be very different. Enemies can be killed, and quite brutally. They can also be revenged by magical methods, that is, they can be turned into an animal, a plant, or even an object, such as a stone. Folklore traditions of different nations that mention the supernatural are directly related to something dark and evil. The unknown seemed dangerous, threatening evil to man.

Mystical literature as a special genre originates from the Gothic chivalric romance of the mid-13th century. If we talk about the Gothic novel as a kind of mystical work, then the scene of action can be attributed to the characteristic features of this type of genre - a medieval castle, where there are always ghosts. People fall under the influence of demonic forces. The fatalistic predestination of the victory of evil makes a person weak, vulnerable, absolutely defenseless. The mystical themes of the Gothic novel become very popular between the 16th and 18th centuries. However, if we talk about the gloomy Middle Ages, then we have to admit that the traditions of the Gothic novel here had their own characteristics.

In the Middle Ages there was a special understanding of death. Hunger, mass epidemics, low level of medicine and other circumstances were the reason that life expectancy turned out to be very small. Death was something ordinary for people, which led to a special perception of it. The theme of "Dance of Death" was very popular in culture. Pictures and engravings often depicted how Death leads people of different classes with him in a dance. It could be a peasant or a king, a priest or a wealthy gentleman. Such artists as A. Durer, G. Holbein the Younger turned to the "Dance of Death".

In the 19th century, the genre of horror literature can be considered already fully formed. In particular, it was at this time that the cult work of B. Stoker (1847-1912) "Dracula" appeared. This work has become a classic of horror literature. It served as the beginning of the appearance of a whole series of works about creatures with a special infernal magnetism - vampires. From the folklore of different peoples of the world, we know that a vampire is a revived dead man who feeds on the blood of the living. Legends that were common in Europe said that vampires sleep during the day and go hunting at night. Vampires can stay in the grave during the day. But more often, secluded dungeons are their favorite place to live during the day (old castles with numerous underground rooms are ideal for them). According to popular beliefs, suicides, witches, sorcerers, unbaptized or illegitimate children, criminals can become vampires. So is an ordinary dead person, if a cat suddenly jumped on him. If a vampire bites someone, then the victim, of course, will turn into a vampire herself. Russian classics also did not ignore the theme of vampirism. For example, A. K. Tolstoy has interesting works on this topic - "Ghoul" and "Ghoul Family".

The story “Ghoul Family” gives the following explanation: “... ghouls, as vampires are called among the Slavic peoples, are nothing else in the minds of local residents, like the dead who came out of the graves to suck the blood of living people. They generally have the same habits as all other vampires, but there is also a feature that makes them even more dangerous. Ghouls ... preferentially suck the blood of their closest relatives and their best friends, and when they die, they also become vampires, so according to eyewitnesses they even say that in Bosnia and Herzegovina the population of entire villages turned into ghouls. Mystical literature always relies on dark legends and myths. N.V. Gogol often used similar motifs in his works. For example, in the story “Terrible Revenge” there is such a scene: “The cross on the grave shook, and a dried up dead man quietly rose from it. Beard to the waist; on the fingers, the claws are long, even longer than the fingers themselves. Quietly he raised his hands. His face trembled and twisted. Apparently, he endured a terrible torment. “It's stuffy for me! stuffy! he moaned in a wild, inhuman voice.

Meeting with some otherworldly creatures generally does not entail anything good. This situation is clearly considered dangerous. However, creatures can be very camouflaged. For example, it doesn’t cost them anything to pretend to be an ordinary lamb, as it is written in Turgenev’s story “Bezhin Meadow”. One day a man was driving late at night. And his path lay next to the place where the drowned man was buried a long time ago. It is immediately clear that this is not a good place. But Yermila (that was the name of the hero) still had nowhere to go. So he rode, rode, and suddenly next to the grave he saw a pretty white, curly lamb. Yermil decided to take the lamb. He got off the horse, caught the animal and was about to get back on the horse. But it was not there.

“Here Yermil goes to the horse, and the horse stares at him, snores, shakes his head; however, he rebuked her, sat on her with a lamb and rode again: he was holding a lamb in front of him. He looks at him, and the lamb looks right into his eyes. He felt terrible, Yermil, the kennel: that they say, I don’t remember that rams looked into someone’s eyes like that; however nothing; he began to stroke his wool like that, - he says: “Byasha, byasha!” And the ram suddenly bares his teeth, and he too: "Byasha, byasha ...". How can one not recall Tatyana's dream in A. S. Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin". Here we see a complete “set” of what could frighten not only a person of the 19th century, but also a modern reader. The monsters sit around

One in horns with a dog's muzzle,

Another with a cock's head

Here is a witch with a goat's beard,

Here the skeleton is stiff and proud,

There is a dwarf with a tail, but

Half crane and half cat.

Even scarier, even weirder:

Here is a cancer riding a spider,

Here is a skull on a gooseneck

Spinning in a red cap

Here the mill dances squatting

And it crackles and flaps its wings;

Barking, laughing, singing, whistling and clapping.

People's talk and horse top!

Tatyana's dream is a vivid example of foreseeing the future. The thought of a possible foresight of the future always causes fear. In the poem by V. A. Zhukovsky "Svetlana" on Epiphany evening, the girls decided to tell fortunes. One of her friends, Svetlana, spoke about her sadness. Her dear friend is far away, the girl knows nothing about him. This makes her sad and sad. Friends thought that Svetlana should tell fortunes.

Here is one beauty;
He sits down by the mirror;
With secret timidity she
Looking in the mirror...

Apparently, the girl fell asleep. And she dreamed that someone entered the door and looked in the mirror. Svetlana saw her beloved:

Let's go! The priest is waiting in the church
With the deacon, deacons;
The choir sings the wedding song;
The temple is lit up with candles.

Svetlana and her fiancé galloped into the night. The girl's lover was silent. Suddenly, in the church, Svetlana saw a black coffin and a priest performing a burial ceremony:

Suddenly a blizzard is all around;
Snow falls in tufts;
Black Raven, whistling its wing,
Hovering over the sleigh;
Raven croaks: sadness!

Everything is gone. The girl was left alone. On the way, she suddenly saw a hut in which there was a white coffin and a candle in front of the icon. The bridegroom of the girl was in the coffin. The dead man was about to get up, but a white dove fluttered onto his chest and he fell back into the coffin. Svetlana's dream turned out to be eerie. But she woke up and saw how brightly the sun was shining. And her fiancé drives up to the house, alive and well. The end of the work is very optimistic: Here are my ballads:

"The best friend to us in this life
Faith in providence.
The blessing of the maker of the law:
Here misfortune is a false dream;
Happiness is an awakening.

The topic of fear in literature is complex and multifaceted. Interest in it does not fade, and this is understandable. The rapid development of science and technology still cannot displace interest in the otherworldly. And although mystical motifs seem to be something frivolous for most modern readers, they are, in essence, a very important and integral part of world literature.

Courage and timidity are moral categories associated with the spiritual side of the personality. They are an indication human dignity, demonstrate weakness, or vice versa, strength of character, which manifests itself in complex life situations. Our history is rich in such ups and downs, so arguments in the direction of "Courage and cowardice" for final essay presented in abundance in Russian classics. Examples from Russian literature will help the reader figure out how and where courage manifests itself and fear comes out.

1. In the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" one of these situations is a war that puts the heroes before a choice: to give in to fear and save their own lives, or, defying danger, to preserve their fortitude. Andrei Bolkonsky in battle shows remarkable courage, he is the first to rush into battle to cheer up the soldiers. He knows that he can die in battle, but the fear of death does not frighten him. Fyodor Dolokhov also fights desperately in the war. The feeling of fear is alien to him. He knows that a brave soldier can influence the outcome of the battle, so he bravely rushes into battle, despising
   cowardice. But the young cornet Zherkov succumbs to fear and refuses to convey the order to retreat. The letter, which was never delivered to them, causes the death of many soldiers. The price for showing cowardice is prohibitively high.
2. Courage conquers time and perpetuates names. Cowardice is a shameful stain on the pages of history and literature.
   In the novel by A.S. Pushkin " Captain's daughter»an example of courage and courage is the image of Pyotr Grinev. He is ready to defend at the cost of his life Belogorsk fortress under the onslaught of Pugachev, and the fear of death is alien to the hero at the moment of danger. A heightened sense of justice and duty does not allow him to escape or refuse the oath. Clumsy and petty in his motives, Shvabrin is presented in the novel as the antipode of Grinev. He goes over to the side of Pugachev, committing a betrayal. He is driven by fear for his own life, while the fate of other people means nothing to Shvabrin, who is ready to save himself by exposing another to a blow. His image entered the history of Russian literature as one of the archetypes of cowardice.
3. War reveals hidden human fears, the most ancient of which is the fear of death. In V. Bykov's story "The Crane Cry", the heroes face a seemingly impossible task: to detain the German troops. Each of them understands that it is possible to fulfill a duty only at the cost of one's own life. Everyone must decide for himself what is more important for him: to avoid death or to fulfill the order. Pshenichny believes that life is more precious than a ghostly victory, so he is ready to surrender in advance. He decides that surrendering to the Germans is much wiser than needlessly risking his life. Solidarity with him and Ovseev. He regrets that he did not have time to escape before the arrival of the German troops, and most the battlefield sits in a trench. AT another attack he makes a cowardly attempt to escape, but Glechik shoots at him, not allowing him to escape. Glechik himself is no longer afraid to die. It seems to him that only now, in a moment of complete despair, he felt responsible for the outcome of the battle. The fear of death for him is small and insignificant, compared with the idea that by fleeing he can betray the memory of his dead comrades. This is the true heroism and fearlessness of a hero doomed to death.
4. Vasily Terkin is another archetype hero who entered the history of literature as an image of a brave, cheerful and brave soldier going into battle with a smile on his lips. But he attracts the reader not so much with feigned fun and well-aimed jokes as with genuine heroism, masculinity and steadfastness. The image of Terkin was created by Tvardovsky as a joke, however, the author depicts the war in the poem without embellishment. Against the backdrop of military realities, the unpretentious and such a captivating image of the fighter Terkin becomes folk incarnation the ideal of a true soldier. Of course, the hero is afraid of death, dreams of family comfort, but he knows for sure that protecting the Fatherland is his main duty. Duty to the Motherland, to the dead comrades and to himself.
5. In the story "Coward" V.M. Garshin displays the characteristics of the character in the title, thereby, as it were, evaluating him in advance, hinting at the further course of the story. “The war definitely haunts me,” the hero writes in his notes. He is afraid that he will be taken as a soldier and does not want to go to war. It seems to him that millions of ruined human lives cannot be justified by a great purpose. However, in contemplation of his own fear, he comes to the conclusion that he can hardly accuse himself of cowardice. He is disgusted by the idea that you can use influential acquaintances and evade war. An inner sense of truth does not allow him to resort to such a petty and unworthy means. “You can’t run away from a bullet,” the hero says before his death, thereby accepting it, realizing his involvement in the ongoing battle. His heroism lies in the voluntary rejection of cowardice, in the impossibility of doing otherwise.
6. “The Dawns Here Are Quiet…” B. Vasilyeva is by no means a book about cowardice. On the contrary, about incredible, superhuman courage. Moreover, its heroes prove that war can have female face and courage is not only a man's lot. Five young girls are engaged in an unequal battle with a German detachment, a battle from which they are unlikely to come out alive. Each of them understands this, but not one of them stops before death and humbly goes to meet her in order to fulfill her duty. All of them - Liza Brichkina, Rita Osyanina, Zhenya Komelkova, Sonya Gurvich and Galya Chetvertak - perish at the hands of the Germans. However, there is not a shadow of doubt in their silent feat. They know for sure that there is no other choice. Their faith is unshakable, and steadfastness and courage are examples of true heroism, direct proof that there is no limit to human capabilities.
7. “I am a trembling creature or do I have rights?” - asks Rodion Raskolnikov, confident that he rather the second than the first. However, according to the incomprehensible irony of life, everything turns out to be exactly the opposite. The soul of Raskolnikov turns out to be cowardly, despite the fact that he found the strength in himself to commit murder. In an attempt to rise above the masses, he loses himself and steps over moral line. Dostoevsky in the novel emphasizes that it is very easy to embark on the false path of self-deception, but to overcome the fear in oneself and suffer the punishment that Raskolnikov is so afraid of is necessary for the spiritual purification of the hero. Sonya Marmeladova comes to the aid of Rodion, who lives in constant fear for what he has done. Despite all her external fragility, the heroine has a persistent character. She inspires confidence and courage in the hero, helps him overcome cowardice, and is even ready to share Raskolnikov's punishment in order to save his soul. Both heroes struggle with fate and circumstances, this shows their strength and courage.
8. “The Fate of a Man” by M. Sholokhov is another book about courage and courage, the hero of which is an ordinary soldier Andrei Sokolov, whose fate the pages of the book are devoted to. The war forced him to leave home and go to the front to be tested by fear and death. In battle, Andrei is honest and brave, like many soldiers. He is faithful to a debt for which he is ready to pay even own life. Stunned by a live shell, Sokolov sees the approaching Germans, but does not want to run, deciding that last minutes must be done with dignity. He refuses to obey the invaders, his courage impresses even the German commandant, who sees in him a worthy opponent and a valiant soldier. Fate is merciless to the hero: he loses the most precious thing in the war - loving wife and children. But, despite the tragedy, Sokolov remains a man, lives according to the laws of conscience, according to the laws of a brave human heart.
9. The novel by V. Aksyonov "The Moscow Saga" is dedicated to the history of the Gradov family, which devoted its entire life to serving the Fatherland. This is a trilogy novel, which is a description of the life of an entire dynasty, closely related by family ties. Heroes are ready to sacrifice a lot for each other's happiness and well-being. In desperate attempts to save their loved ones, they show remarkable courage, the call of conscience and duty for them - defining, guiding all their decisions and actions. Each of the characters is brave in their own way. Nikita Gradov heroically defends his homeland. He gets the title of a hero Soviet Union. The hero is uncompromising in his decisions, several military operations are successfully carried out under his leadership. goes to war and Foster-son Gradov - Mitya. Creating heroes, plunging them into an atmosphere of constant anxiety, Aksyonov shows that courage is the lot of not only a single individual, but also a whole generation brought up on respect family values and moral duty.
10. Feats are a theme eternal in literature. Cowardice and courage, their confrontation, numerous victories of one over the other, and now become the subject of controversy and search for modern writers.
    One of these authors was the famous British writer Joan K. Rowling and her world-famous hero, Harry Potter. Her series of novels about the wizard boy won the hearts of young readers with the fantastic plot and, of course, the courage of the heart. central character. Each of the books is a story of the struggle between good and evil, in which the first always wins, thanks to the courage of Harry and his friends. In the face of danger, each of them maintains steadfastness and faith in the final triumph of good, which, according to a happy tradition, the winners are rewarded for their courage and courage.

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