Search for a command to run...
The subject of the analysis of the proposed article is the ballad poem by A. K. Tolstoy “Ilya Muromets”, published in the journal “Russian Herald” in 1871. The poem is examined in a historical and literary context. The article examines the process of transformation of the traditional image of the Russian epic hero Ilya Muromets in the poem of the same name by A. K. Tolstoy. The work is based on a comparative analysis of significant works of the Russian epic related to the Kiev cycle of epics about the rebellion against Prince Vladimir (“Ilya Muromets and the tavern boys”, “Nikita Zaoleshanin”, “The quarrel between Ilya Muromets and Prince Vladimir”, etc.); the study of specific poetic techniques used by the author to illustrate a different interpretation of traditional images and motifs of the folk epic. The poem is based on traditional epic motifs, but Tolstoy uses innovative techniques to emphasize the inner feelings of the main character and to reveal the transformation of an authentic spirit. The poet rejects the simple adaptation of folk texts, creating a deep psychological portrait of Ilya Muromets, who possesses a number of personal qualities of an ordinary person: freedom loving, straightforward, with a sense of self-respect, and unwilling to accept injustice. The image of the hero becomes an impetus for the author to address the crucial theme of the conflict between the government and the people, which intensified during the period when the poem was written. The theme of the relationship between government and the people is one of the key and constantly emerging themes in the works of Russian classics. The Tolstoy’s poem indirectly traces the autobiographical motifs that manifest themselves in the author's attitude to the main theme and the main characters of the work. The main leitmotif reflects the public views and moods formed during the era of crisis and aggravation of social contradictions in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. The purpose of the study was to analyze the artistic methods of Tolstoy, which made it possible, using the spirit of traditional oral epic poetry, to reflect changes in the perception of the folk hero within the cultural context of the 19th century. The article provides a detailed illustration of how Tolstoy's creative approach characterizes the understanding of the role of the folk hero in modern society. Tolstoy, being influenced by historical time and the peculiarities of the era, transforms traditional epic images and motifs, filling them with new meanings relevant and significant for his time.