Literary images are not only a reflection of reality, but also its generalization. The author not only shows how he sees the real reality, he creates his own, new fictional world. Using images, the artist depicts his personal idea of ​​real life, the perception of natural events.
What is a literary image?
An artistic image in literature is a form of reflection of reality, any individual phenomenon that the author reinterprets with the help of fantasy and recreates in his work. Under the image can be understood a separate element of the whole plan, which at the same time seems to have its own content and "lives independently." For example, the character's character in literature or symbolic images in the poetry of A.S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, etc.
The definition of an artistic image was given relatively recently by the German writer and philosopher I.V. Goethe. However, the problem of how to create an image faced the creators of the word in ancient times. Aristotle reflected on this and formalized his arguments into a whole doctrine. And this term became widely used in the world of literature and art after the publication of some Hegel's articles.
Characteristics of the result of object reflection
There are several characteristics that help to understand that images are the result of reflection of objects, and not details or artistic expressive means of literary speech. They are inherent in such features:
1. The image is the result of an artistic generalization of reality.
2. It does not separate from its real prototype and after creative rethinking by the author of the latter reflects the opinion of the writer.
3. The literary figure helps to understand the individual features of the author's worldview. With its help, the reader can determine the position of the author in the work, which is often required for the analysis of the text, finding the problem that is being raised.
4. Literary images have the functions of symbols and can be interpreted ambiguously. It all depends on the complicity of the reader, how seriously a person takes a particular result of the reflection of the object, as he sees it. The reader attaches one meaning or another to the image. Everyone perceives it in his own way.
5. The image can be either an author’s one, that is, an artist who appeared as a result of an assessment of the world, or a traditional one, that is, taken from folk culture or mythology.
The result of the reflection of man in literature
The artistic image of a person becomes different over time, as the person himself changes, his worldview, and therefore, you need to depict the personality in a different way. As creativity develops, priorities with respect to the human figure and form change. For example, the image of a person in the literature of the classical style is accompanied by a sense of duty and honor. Moreover, positive heroes always give preference to this, sacrificing personal happiness. And in romantic poetry and prose, the author puts above all the relationship of the character and society, its interaction with the outside world.
How is an image created?
In literature, the image of the hero is formed using the author of some means:
1. The character must have a name, surname and middle name. Although there are cases when the authors did not name their heroes, they simply called them Mr.. Speaking names and surnames are also very common, especially among the classics. For example, Mrs. Prostakova and Mitrofan from the comedy of D. I. Fonvizin “Undergrowth”.
2. Portrait of a hero. The author describes the character, appearance or some details that characterize the character. For example, a detailed portrait of Chichikov is presented to us by N. V. Gogol in his poem Dead Souls.
3. The interior characterizing the character. In the novel by I. A. Goncharov “Oblomov”, the author gives us a description of the apartment in which the protagonist lives.
4. The actions of the character, reflecting its essence.
5. Artistic details. In the novel Oblomov, this is a worn hero’s robe and his large slippers. And in the work of I. S. Turgenev, “Fathers and Sons,” Bazarov’s weathered hands without gloves become such a detail.
It is not easy to create images, it requires a lot of attention to every little thing and phrase uttered by the hero.
Separate topic
The images of the female representatives are a separate conversation. Much attention is paid to such figures in the works of A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” and A. S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit”. These female images are considered the embodiment of honesty, kindness, young girlish beauty. But, despite some similarities, the characters of the heroines are different.
Sofya Famusova is a controversial character. In many ways, she does not resemble her father, but she has not decided what time she refers to - "this century or the past century." Sophia reads French novels at night, in love with Molchalin, but without hesitation, she spread gossip about Chatsky's madness.
Tatyana Larina is a gentle, romantic nature. She is a “people's soul”, brought up by a nanny, different from her sister. For the first time I experienced a wonderful feeling of falling in love, having already reached adulthood, while her sister did not long mourn the death of her groom in a duel. Tatyana is Pushkin’s favorite female image, which is not surprising.
However, today's youth can take as an example any of these personalities, as they are multifaceted and become ideals for their creators.
Conclusion
We talked about the results of the reflection of the object in the literature and came to the following conclusions. Artistic images - this is what requires the reader to understand and inspire. The reader himself gives the figure some qualities that only he knows about. The artistic image is inexhaustible, like our life itself.