IMAGE OF A SERVANT IN THE WORKS OF I. GONCHAROV

The article analyzes an individual social portrait «a typical person» as a «class representative» created by Ivan Goncharov. The article describes a character of a servant in the works of the writer, and provides appropriate conclusions. The writer’s essays are of biographical, historical and cultural interest: such literary works idealized "good old days". The essay "The servants of old age" published in 1888 served this purpose objectively. Relationship between a master and servants of those years were described by the author only throughout everyday life without showing any social conflicts. Ivan Goncharov was mostly engrossed in the national specifics of the Russian life – he saw a variety of possibilities in its elements and observed them meticulously and thoroughly. Specific character of Russian people is reflected in the images portrayed by Goncharov where individuality and originality come to the foreground. In the novel "The Precipice" the author describes the image of idle obsequious servants spoilt by the master's gifts. I. Goncharov as a writer steps away from a traditional essay of classical Russian literature to the realistic traditions of world literature: contradictions and conflicts, "sympathies" and "dislikes". Goncharov as a landlord replaces servants in his house and becomes a witnesses or a "third" party in their private life, and willingly reflects that on the pages of his essay where there are no stories but there are interesting and instructive facts of life. The plot of Goncharov’s essay is a creative transformation of facts taken from life that takes place in the light of artistic and journalistic nature. In general Goncharov’ essay is the author’s reflections on people and deeds: a story that reveals the inner life, psychology with ironic shades and not a dry description of a fact. The subject of a "humble" person – usually a servant – is traced in every Goncharov’s work. If the literature shows a definite, stable and generalized image of a servant, I. Goncharov shows this image in a different way – he created individual typical images. Literary devices used by the author are really varied: a vivid portrait, a satirical description of appearance, and comic situations from life. The basic method of portrait description is the characters’ language (of a servant and a landlord); in most cases it is a dialogue.