SPECIFICS OF THE ‘CHILD THEME’ EXPRESSION IN THE STORIES BY F. DOSTOEVSKY (‘THE LITTLE HERO’) AND M. GORKY (‘LOVE AFFAIR’)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to clarify how Dostoevsky and Gorky understand “adult” emotions of a child, and what are the similarities and differences between interpretations by the two writers. The paper analyzes the characteristics of the reception of child psychology by Dostoevsky and Gorky, the specifics of understanding children’s perception of adults and the two-way communication between the child and the adult. Conclusions are made about the deliberate simplicity and irony of Gorky’s narration in comparison with the complicated emotionality of the story by Dostoevsky, and also that these are two different ways to draw the reader’s attention to children’s mental drama.

Keywords

• image of a child
• «child theme»
• plot
• emotional drama
• the theme of love