Based on the methodology for studying a single fairy?tale plot developed by V. Ya. Propp, the article examines the plot "Wonderful Sons?in?Law" (ATU 552) – one of the tales in the cycle about the "wonderful" spouse, which has its roots in totemistic beliefs. The archaic form is analysed using material from an African fairy tale and the classical form – using material from a Russian fairy tale. It is established that in the early stages of plot formation, when the fairy tale had not yet shed its mythological elements, changes in the plot were driven by external factors: a shift in the worldview of its creators, changes in mythological concepts, which led to a reversal of the characters (from female to male) and a change in the attitude towards the "miraculous" hero (from positive to negative), and consequently, to the creation of corresponding situations (the pursuit of the miraculous wife, shapeshifting, getting rid of the miraculous spouse). At the stage of complete liberation from mythologism, changes in the plot were primarily dictated by aesthetic considerations: the plot was structured in accordance with the genre.
|
