The fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" by Aksakova S. T. was included in the annex to "Childhood of Bagrov, the grandson." The artistic arrangement of the famous French fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" on Russian traditions brought the author popularity, and is still one of the favorite magical stories of children and adults. The main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" is the healing power of love.
Aksakov Sergey Timofeevich: a brief biography
Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov (1971-1859) - Russian writer, theater and literary critic and statesman, was born in the city of Ufa. Sergey Timofeevich made translations from the French language, wrote a collection of stories about hunting and fishing, created an autobiographical trilogy about the Bagrovs, in which he tried to describe his view on the correct moral education of the young generation.
The Family Chronicles and Memoirs were continued by the Children's Records of Bagrov, the Grandson, in the appendix of which the fairy tale “The Scarlet Flower” was published, which was so beloved by the domestic reader and brought the writer wide fame. These three works occupy a worthy place not only in Russian, but also in world literature. A simple and measured description of the life of several generations of an ordinary noble family still arouses the interest of a large circle of readers. "Children's notes" became the author’s book about children and for the child.
Most of Aksakov’s critical articles were published under the names of others, pseudonyms, or completely anonymously, such restrictions were imposed on the writer by the service in the censorship department.
The primary source of the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" by S. T. Aksakova
Gabrielle Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (1695-1755 gg.) - French storyteller, considered the first author of the famous "Beauty and the Beast." The story was printed in 1740. The author’s creations are thoroughly forgotten, and the real version of the tale in Europe is printed in the appendix to the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
The source for the story was the tale of the ancient Roman philosopher Apuleius about "Cupid and Psyche". According to myths, Psyche was the youngest princess and beauty even overshadowed Aphrodite. The girl suffered and was lonely, because no one saw her inner beauty. The goddess demanded that her son Eros (Amur) instill in the girl’s heart a love for the most vile and outcast creature on earth.
The oracle predicted that the king should take his beloved daughter to the cave and leave at the mercy of an unprecedented monster. The princess was submissive and carried out the will of her father, her husband demanded only one thing from her - never to ask about who he was.
Psyche's life was quiet and happy until the sisters, envious, told her tales of her husband. The princess was afraid for the life of her child and dared to find out if her lover really was a dragon. She secretly lit a lamp at night and saw Amur at the site of the monster. Breaking the promise, Psyche was separated from her husband for a long time, and only having overcome many trials, she earned divine forgiveness and immortality.
The story of a fairy tale
The author of the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" restored the story according to the promise given to his granddaughter Ola for Christmas. Therefore, it was important for the writer to present the main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" in a bright and accessible form for the kids. In letters to his son Ivan, Timofeevich explained that he was writing a fairy tale, well known to him from his own childhood. On the estate of Aksakov's parents, a certain housekeeper Pelageya served, in his youth, a servant in the house of Persian ambassadors. Only there, a simple and uneducated woman could hear the exquisite tales of the East and Europe.
Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov wrote his books for children, as for real adults, avoiding moralizing, very popular in those days. The writer said that the main thing is “highly artistic” performance of stories, and it’s very boring to read direct instructions to a child. Therefore, when the kids are asked what the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" is about, they always very emotionally and with great willingness begin to retell the events of history.
The plot and moral of the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower"
According to Aksakov, the three daughters of the merchant asked themselves gifts from distant countries. Having survived the attack of the robbers, the merchant finds a marvelous palace, and in his gardens a flower is commissioned by the youngest daughter. The owner of the magical possessions was angry at the deed of the ungrateful merchant and promised to execute the thief. The merchant begged for forgiveness and told about his daughters, then the monster decided that if one of the daughters voluntarily replaced his father, he would not take revenge.
The merchant told the children about the adventures, and the youngest daughter agreed to save her father. In the enchanted possessions, her life was calm and secure, the owner himself was called her "obedient slave." Over time, the characters fell in love, even the terrible appearance of the monster ceased to frighten the girl. Once a merchant's daughter asked to visit home with the condition to return in three days and nights. The older sisters envied the younger and deceived her for a longer period. When she returned, she found the dying monster, but the strength of her love saved the hero and broke the spell.
The main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" is the power of great love that can overcome all obstacles and heal spiritual and physical ailments.
The main characters of "The Scarlet Flower" Aksakova S. T.
The heroes of the tale believe in love and goodness. The merchant's daughter, without hesitation, sacrifices his life for his father. The bewitched monster, although it depends on the girl, does not dare to force her and releases her to her father and sisters. Another main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" is the ability of a person to change. Even having committed an unsightly act, frightening the girl’s father, the monster still appears before the readers noble and honest. The main characters of "The Scarlet Flower" Aksakova S. T. cause only positive impressions in children.
Performances and adaptations of fairy tales
Beautiful tales about the power of pure and selfless love have always become the basis for theatrical productions and film adaptations. In 1952, Soyuzmultfilm made an excellent animated version of The Scarlet Flower for a children's audience. The tape turned out to be so masterfully executed and aroused the interest of children that it was restored in 1987 and re-sounded in 2001.
In 1949, the premiere of a play based on a fairy tale took place on the stage of the Pushkin Drama Theater in Moscow. The production is still popular today.
There are also two film versions of The Scarlet Flower: The Scarlet Flower of 1977 and The Tale of the Merchant's Daughter and the Mysterious Flower of 1991. A wonderful cast (Alexander Abdulov, Alla Demidova and Lev Durov) was selected in the 1977 film, but the film itself turned out rather gloomy. The 1991 Tale is a joint film project of the USSR, Germany and Belgium. The result of the work was a very high-quality and interesting film adaptation, which, due to the events of 1991, did not receive due attention and fame in the country.