Axiological characteristics of subject plots in Armenian literary fairy tales

Abstract

The paper deals with evaluative characteristics of a fairy tale subject plot treated as a structure of a story about miraculous events narrated mainly to young listeners or readers in an entertaining mode and meant to form in their mind the right world view. The components of a subject plot are its motifs – consequences of actions determined by the choice made by a hero and promoting certain values, norms and practices. A literary fairy tale is an elaborated variant of a folklore story, it usually has a more complicated line of events, it is characterized by individual style of a writer in narration and evaluation of the content, and a happy end is optional in it. The fairy tales by G. Agayan, O. Tumanyan, and S. Zoryan have been analyzed. Axiological properties of these subject plots have been explained. They promote universal human values and specific features of the Armenian world view. Such specificity consists in the description of Armenian realia (nature, dress, food, etc.), the proper names which reveal the heroes characters, the description of magical creatures who inhabit the fairy tale world of Armenia and neighboring countries (mainly vishaps and devas), and in linguistic cultural concepts reflecting severe conditions of life and survival and emphasizing the importance of craft as a personal status, the warmth of family ties, critical exposure of cruel authorities and intellectual incapacity of people. 

Keywords

• armenian literary fairy tale
• subject plot
• motif
• value
• world view acknowledgments