1. Childhood In The Works Of Ch. Dickens three works by Charles Dickens were selected for analysis

Three works by Charles Dickens were selected for analysis
- "A Christmas Carol in Prose", "A Cricket Behind the Hearth" and "Christmas Tree", as well as a collection of "Christmas Tales" by Russian writers of the 19th century. The appeal to images of children, which, on the one hand, are considered textbook in the work of Charles Dickens, and on the other hand, are an obligatory component of the genre of the Christmas story, it is also a tribute to the Great "Inimitable" in his anniversary year.
The holiday of Christmas is one of the most revered in the Christian world. It has its own long and deep traditions, both in England and in Russia. On the one hand, this is a religious holiday associated with the Birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Therefore, there are a lot of symbols, images and ideas of the holiday embodied in these symbols, correlating, first of all, with the Gospel texts and the spiritual sphere of human life. On the other hand, the days of celebrating Christmas (in Russia they were also called Yuletide) have long been surrounded by a mystical, mysterious halo. This is the manifestation of the ancient pagan tradition. It was believed that these days the most incredible, fantastic events could happen. It is at this time that the evil spirits are especially active, and therefore a meeting with representatives of this force cannot surprise anyone.There is another side of the Christmas holiday - secular, associated with the tradition of family celebration, the idea of ​​uniting relatives and friends on these cold December days, the universal idea of ​​compassion and love. On Christmas Day, the whole family usually gathers
grievances are forgiven. It was at this time that the family unites in a single pursuit of happiness and faith in a miracle.There is another side of the Christmas holiday - secular, associated with the tradition of family celebration, the idea of ​​uniting relatives and friends on these cold December days, the universal idea of ​​compassion and love. On Christmas Day, the whole family usually gathers at home, near their home, past mistakes and grievances are forgiven. It was at this time that the family unites in a single pursuit of happiness and faith in a miracle.
This semantic ambiguity in the perception of Christmas is reflected in the works of Charles Dickens. So, one cannot rightfully speak about the Christian sound of the novels and even the Christmas stories of the writer. The religious meaning and evangelical images of Christmas in Dickens's work give way to the commonplace, “poeticization of reality” [Skuratovskaya, Matveeva 1972: 39]. Often in his understanding of Christmas, the writer follows the old English tradition. And, as G.K. Chesterton writes in his book, “the ideal of family comfort belongs to the British, it belongs to Christmas, moreover, it belongs to Dickens” [Chesterton
Christmas stories by Charles Dickens, who is rightfully considered the founder of this genre in Western European literature, gave impetus to the emergence and development of the Christmastide story in Russia. Since the mid-1840s, in the magazines Sovremennik, Niva, Rodina, Ogonyok, etc. (following the example of Dickens's Home Reading and Round Year), a tradition has been formed to publish Christmas stories for Christmas. addressed to children and youth. Taking into account such a target setting of this genre on Russian soil, the interest of Russian writers in the topic of childhood and images should be especially emphasized.
Enough has already been said about children's images in the works of Charles Dickens in Russian and foreign literary criticism. The characters created by the writer, such as Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Nellie Trent, Paul and Florence Dombey, Emmy Dorrit and many others, forever entered the world history of Childhood. These characters are striking in their realism, recognizability, and at the same time, touching, sincerity and lyricism, and sometimes precisely noticed comic details. This is largely due to the special attitude of Dickens to his own childhood, his memories of that period of life. It is no coincidence that A. Zweig in his article "Dickens" characterizes his hero as follows: "... Dickens himself is a writer who immortalized the joys and sorrows of his childhood like no other" [Zweig 1990: 260].
Turning to Dickens' Christmas stories of different years, two themes can be clearly distinguished. The first is, of course, the theme of Christmas, the second is the theme of Childhood. Developing independently, based on the inner conviction and worldview of the author himself, these themes intersect and partly feed each other. Both themes run through the entire work of Charles Dickens and find their embodiment in the images of eccentrics and children. As MP Tugusheva correctly noted, “childhood for Dickens has always been not only age, but also a very important element of full-fledged humanity. So he believed that in a good and extraordinary person, something from “childhood” is always preserved, and he embodied this “childish” quality in his best and beloved heroes ... ”[Tugusheva 1979: 204].
The images of children that we find in Dickens' Christmas stories largely continue the realistic tradition of depicting children already rooted in the writer's work, and on the other hand, it is these images that bring a new sound, original ideas and motives, which we would like to analyze. It seems to us that the motives associated with the images of children testify to the commonality of the Christmas and Yuletide stories.
The first motive, which has a Christian basis, is the motive of the "divine child" - a baby sent to earth by God to save mankind. Salvation can be interpreted not only in the literal sense of the word, as the idea of ​​the Messiah, but also in terms of simple human feelings and relationships. In Dickens's "Cricket Behind the Hearth" (1845), the role of the "divine child" is played by the son of Tiny and John Peeribingle - "Blessed Young Peeribingle" [Dickens 1959: 242]. The author, following the young mother, admires the baby, his healthy appearance, calm character and exemplary behavior. But the main distinguishing feature of this image and the motive associated with it is as follows. It is this child, and also the cricket, who embody the idea of ​​a happy home. Without a baby, young Kroshka used to be bored, lonely, and sometimes scared. And although the role of young Piribingle is a “role without words,” this child becomes the main unifying center of the famil the basis of its fun, happiness and love. .
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The motive of the "divine child" is clearly traced in the story of N.P. Wagner's Child of Christ (1888). Found and rescued, this Christmas Eve baby symbolizes the idea of ​​love and mercy. But, if Dickens draws the image of a child realistically, in an ordinary way, then in the Russian Christmastide story in the interpretation of such an image, a Christian orientation is clearly visible. Here are the manger in which the baby is placed, so similar to the manger where Jesus lay and the very story of the foundling - "God gave Christ's little baby" [Wagner 1991: 93], as well as those epithets "Christ's baby", "Christ's cherub", which accompany the image of the child [Wagner 1991: 93].

All children, regardless of nationality and social background, have a belief in miracles. Miracle, magic is as natural for a little person as the sun, wind, day and night. Therefore, the second motive that connects the images of children in Dickens and in Russian writers is the motive of the “Christmas miracle”. And when else would a miracle happen, if not at Christmas! However, it is necessary to note the "specificity" of such miracles in the considered genre. It lies in the fact that “... the Christmas miracle is not at all something supernatural - it comes in the form of ordinary life luck, just human happiness - unexpected salvation, on time and necessarily on Christmas evening, the help that came, recovery, reconciliation, the return of a long-absent member families, etc. etc." [Dushechkina 1991: 211].
So, the "Christmas miracle" gave Little Tim ("A Christmas Carol in Prose") caring Uncle Scrooge, and just life. AIKuprin's story "Taper" (1900) tells about a wonderful meeting that takes place on Christmas evening, which happily changes the life of Yuri Azagarov. And in A. Bachmanova's story "Christmas Night" (1885), the motive of a wonderful Christmas find is used. The main character is a poor boy Stepushka, left without a father early, is forced to help his mother, think about his daily bread - to learn the craft of “hammering a spoon” [Bachmanova 1991: 65]. And when the little brother fell ill, and the cow fell, poor Stepa became completely unbearable. But then fate literally threw him a gift - a master's wallet with money. This "miracle" radically changed the life of Stepan and his family.

Dickens and in Russian writers is the motive of the “Christmas miracle”. And when else would a miracle happen, if not at Christmas! However, it is necessary to note the "specificity" of such miracles in the considered genre. It lies in the fact that “... the Christmas miracle is not at all something supernatural - it comes in the form of ordinary life luck, just human happiness - unexpected salvation, on time and necessarily on Christmas evening, the help that came, recovery, reconciliation, the return of a long-absent member families, etc. etc." [Dushechkina 1991: 211].

Russian writers is the motive of the “Christmas miracle”. And when else would a miracle happen, if not at Christmas! However, it is necessary to note the "specificity" of such miracles in the considered genre. It lies in the fact that “... the Christmas miracle is not at all something supernatural - it comes in the form of ordinary life luck, just human happiness - unexpected salvation, on time and necessarily on Christmas evening, the help that came, recovery, reconciliation, the return of a long-absent member families, etc. etc].
So, the "Christmas miracle" gave Little Tim ("A Christmas Carol in Prose") caring Uncle Scrooge, and just life. AIKuprin's story "Taper" (1900) tells about a wonderful meeting that takes place on Christmas evening, which happily changes the life of Yuri Azagarov. And in A. Bachmanova's story "Christmas Night" (1885), the motive of a wonderful Christmas find is used. The main character is a poor boy Stepushka, left without a father early, is forced to help his mother, think about his daily bread - to learn the craft of “hammering a spoon”
So, the "Christmas miracle" gave Little Tim ("A Christmas Carol in Prose") caring Uncle Scrooge, and just life. AIKuprin's story "Taper" (1900) tells about a wonderful meeting that takes place on Christmas evening, which happily changes the life of Yuri Azagarov. And in A. Bachmanova's story "Christmas Night" (1885), the motive of a wonderful Christmas find is used. The main character is a poor boy Stepushka, left without a father early, is forced to help his mother, think about his daily bread - to learn the craft of “hammering a spoon”
The third motive that connects the images of children in the English and Russian genre of the Christmas, Yuletide story is the motive of "moral rebirth". According to Dickens, children are the best way to contribute to the moral revival, the re-education of other characters. Let us recall what shock Scrooge experiences when he sees a boy and a girl next to the Spirit of Today's Christmas ("A Christmas Carol"). “Skinny, deathly pale, in rags, they looked from under their brows, like cubs ... The name of the boy is Ignorance. The girl's name is Poverty ”[Dickens 1959: 74]. So, using allegory in the depiction of children's images, the author tries to influence not only Scrooge, but also all reasonable people. "For my sake, in my name, help this little sufferer!" [Dickens 1962: 507] - this cry of despair sounds from the pages of Dickens's works, it sounds in every image of a child he creates. The writer was deeply convinced that "a heart in which there really is no love and sympathy for these little creatures, such a heart is generally inaccessible to the ennobling effect of defenseless innocence, which means that it is something unnatural and dangerous" [Dickens 1962: 501] ... A classic example of the image of a child, which contains the idea of ​​virtue and moral nobility, a child capable of changing the world around him, is the image of Little Tim ("A Christmas Carol").
Russian Christmastide stories, the purpose of which was to educate young people, show how, for a number of reasons, children themselves change, how they become wiser, nobler and, probably, more mature. So, in the story of MV Volkonskaya “A Solid Gift” (1897), the girl Dolly received a real “gift” from her family on Christmas evening - the ability to appreciate and love those who are near, regardless of age and social status. And in the story we have already mentioned, "Christmas Night" shows the moral maturation of Stepushka, who in one night realized what other people's money is and how it is worse than his own, earned by his own labor.
There is one more aspect related to the motive of "moral rebirth". Not only the images of children can affect the moral climate in society, but also adults who have taken the position of a child, looking at the world through his eyes, are able to change something in themselves and in their environment. We find a similar technique in Charles Dickens's story "The Christmas Tree" (1850) and the Christmas story of an unknown Russian author "Dream" (1902). The image of a child is given in these works indirectly, through the memories, emotions and sensations of an adult who has returned to Childhood. This is a utopian ideal world, the world of Kindness, Beauty, Mercy and Miracle, the world of a Fairy Tale that coexists with reality, and its main (fairy tales - M.Sh.) goal is to make this reality a little better. That is why Dickens's words addressed to the Christmas tree sound so sincerely and touchingly: “If somewhere below, in your impenetrable more often, old age is hidden for me, oh let it be given to me already gray-haired to raise a child's heart, child's trust and hope to this image” [Dickens 1960: 410].
In conclusion, I would like to note that the interpretation of images of children in the genre of the Christmas, Yuletide story is not limited to just a few of the motives indicated here. Having created in his work the unique world of Childhood, combining it in the genre of a Christmas story with the philosophy of Christmas, Dickens introduced new images, fairy-tale motifs and the poetics of a fairy tale into this genre. Thus, the author established a new framework and rules for the genre "specificity", which was successfully perceived and given a worthy embodiment in the Christmastide stories of Russian writers of the 19th century.
“David Copperfield” was Dickens's favorite child. He wrote about this novel of his: “Of all my books, I love this one the most. It is easy to believe that I am a gentle father to every creation of my fantasy and that no one can ever love this family as dearly as I do. However, like many gentle parents, deep down I still prefer one of my beloved children to all others, and his name is "David Copperfield." [15, p. 74]. David Copperfield was printed from May 1849 to November 1850. At this time, Dickens was at the height of his fame, and English readers welcomed in this novel not only another wonderful creation of his beloved author, but also his new word about himself. David Copperfield differs from other Dickens novels in that here the author appears before us in his own person. In the legacy of Dickens, which is relatively poor in various kinds of autobiographical materials - diaries, letters, personal memories, reviews of his own works - this novel plays the role of a paramount autobiographical document. He is doubly autobiographical: we have before us the story of a man who has gone through a life similar to that of Charles Dickens - the story of a child, youth and adult, and we have before us the author himself, writing this story and evaluating it from his personal, Dickensian point of view. Thus, before us is the subject of recollection and the recollection itself - the facts of life and the attitude towards them; both, it is true, in a certain refraction, but still comes from Dickens himself. No wonder, finishing this novel, Dickens wrote to his future biographer Forster: “It seems to me that I am sending a particle of myself into the foggy world” [15, p. 81]. The little boy traveling through this novel does not travel alone: ​​he is held by the hand and is led by his older double, the older "I", which at the end of the novel will lead him to himself, will merge with him. This is the end, the synthesis of the novel - the fusion of the author with himself, with his past, the verification of this past from the point of view of the possibility of such a fusion. It is important to note that for Dickens, even his most intimate autobiography (which is "David Copperfield") cannot be devoid of external, figurative embodiment, cannot but be objectified outside, in other people, cannot but be inserted into the framework of a literary plot ... Dickens will never name a single name, he will never show people close to him in their real life guise. If he wants to show his father, then it will not be the father of the hero - David Copperfield, but his casual acquaintance (Mr. Micawber). And only the relationship between the boy and the family he met by chance will be the relationship of Dickens himself to his family in childhood. Dickens always introduced a subjective element into his works, but this subjective element required a solid, objective ground of a concrete-realistic, "alienated" image, from which the author's subjectivism could push off, over which he rose. This is the end, the synthesis of the novel - the fusion of the author with himself, with his past, the verification of this past from the point of view of the possibility of such a fusion. David Copperfield, but his casual acquaintance (Mr. Micawber). And only the relationship between the boy and the family he met by chance will be the relationship of Dickens himself to his family in childhood.
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The Personal Story and Trials of David Copperfield Jr. could be divided into three parts. Particularly remarkable is the first part - childhood. This is the history of human development and, at the same time, the history of the formation of a writer. In the future, this second theme will fade, become more formal, but in the episodes of early childhood it is presented in detail and from its most important side. David's childhood story is painted in idyllic tones. But this idyll is gradually invaded by outside forces, which in the end destroy it. Little David, his fair-haired, wayward and childishly naive mother and finally the kindest Pegotti, a nanny and a maid with ruddy cheeks, form a merry trio. The mother plays with the baby, like a girl with a doll, and Pegotti, not without grumbling, but lovingly fulfills the whims of both. The mysterious garden, where the trees rustle, the small village church, near which the father's grave is located, give the picture not so much sad as lyrically-sentimental shade. For the first time in the history of literature, Dickens depicted with such art the inner world of a child. This is a big step forward in comparison with the literature of the 18th century. Children in the literature of the 18th century were reasonable constructions of writers - they were adults in miniature. And Dickens himself went through a great evolution in his portrayal of children. The fairy-tale girls of his early works, like Nellie or the "Marquise", were also little adults. Oliver Twist or the oppressed children in "Nicholas Nickleby" were described rather outwardly, in terms of the events that happened to them, as young sufferers. The shift begins with Dombey and Son. Here the events of the novel pass before us, refracted through the inner experiences of the child. But this development reaches its peak in "David Copperfield", which in this respect can be put on a par with such masterpieces of literature about children and for children as Andersen's fairy tales. The title of the chapters of the novel is characteristic. The second chapter, for example, is titled "I Observe." And again we have a double counting here: the way the little boy is observing, and the way he, as an adult, the author of memories, relates to these observations. “So, looking back into the very depths of my childhood memories, I find that the first images that clearly stood out from the chaos around them were: my mother and Pegotti. Let's see what else I remember besides that ”[1; 15, p. 46]. This tone provides introductory descriptions of the first chapters. But the author conveys not only the very content of his perceptions, but also that specific naivety with which he, a child, perceived certain events in his life. At the same time, he talks not only about those things that may be available to the child, but also about those that, becoming clear to the reader, are accompanied by an erroneous (because naive) “author's” commentary by the child. In such contradictions of children's explanation and the true meaning of what is happening, for example, the story of the courtship of David's mother by her second husband, Mr. Murdstone, is sustained. The naivete of the narrating boy is here the source for the sentimental and humorous shading of events, which are essentially not very gratifying. Here is how one of the stages of the acquaintance of Mr. Murdstone and Mrs. Copperfield, seen with the keen eye of a young observer, is described: “Nevertheless, it is certain that I saw him in church at Mass and that he later accompanied us home. He came to see us at a beautiful geranium standing on the window in the living room. It seemed to me that, however, he did not pay special attention to this geranium and only, when I was going to leave, asked my mother to give him a flower from the geranium. Mother invited "him to pick any flower for himself, but, to my surprise, he did not want to do it. Then mother picked the flower herself and gave it to the black-haired gentleman. Taking the flower from hand to hand, he said that he would never, never part with it. I thought This semantic ambiguity in the perception of Christmas is reflected in the works of Charles Dickens. So, one cannot rightfully speak about the Christian sound of the novels and even the Christmas stories of the writer. The religious meaning and evangelical images of Christmas in Dickens's work give way to the commonplace, “poeticization of reality” [Skuratovskaya, Matveeva 1972: 39]. Often in his understanding of Christmas, the writer follows the old English tradition. And, as G.K. Chesterton writes in his book, “the ideal of family comfort belongs to the British, it belongs to Christmas, moreover, it belongs to Dickens”
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