Authors
- Krasovitskaya Yuliya Vladimirovna PhD (Philology), docent
Annotation
The relevance and originality of the article is determined by the appeal to little-studied works of the modern German writer Katja Brandis — the cycle of books
«Woodwalkers» – with the classic work of world children’s literature — «The Jungle Book» by R. Kipling. The comparative-contrastive method used in the article aims to clarify the points of contact between relatively discussed in literature and culture problems of the opposition of the categories «ours» – «foe». The aim of this study is a literary analysis of the protagonist’s character, their position in relation to the surrounding reality and other characters within the categories of «ours – other – foe» by examining the motives of transformation, return, and transition from one opposing world to another: the civilized world of humans and the world of the wild. The analysis argues that deep immersion in the natural world leaves an indelible mark on the behavior and worldview of the human/werewolf character, resulting in the protagonist no longer feeling at home in human society. One of the main points becomes the conflict between nature and civilization presented in the both works. The protagonists find themselves at the junction of opposing forces and are forced to search for their own place in the artistic world of works and to make a choice, that affects the process of their self-determination. The comprehension and mastering of foe spheres depends mostly on the internal attitude of the characters, prepared by interaction with the closest social ambiance (family) and a more neutral circle of communication (society). The protagonists are aware of their «otherness », but the achieved balance is quite satisfactory to them. The conducted analysis allows to conclude, that a new alternative sphere is created in both works. Creatures, that combine the features of a human and a beast, become there the «ours». The presented materials and observations help to understand the specifics of the relationship between human heroes and animal heroes in children’s literature, to assess the possibilities of their interaction and to project the obtained results onto the building of interpersonal and intercultural relationships in literary works.
How to link insert
Krasovitskaya, Y. V. (2026). ARTISTIC IMAGES OF A MAN AND A BEAST IN LIGHT OF THE OPPOSITION OF THE CATEGORIES «OURS» – «FOE» (R. KIPLING «THE JUNGLE BOOK», K. BRANDIS «WOODWALKERS») Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", 1 (61), 35. https://doi.org/10.24412/2076-913X-2026-161-35-54
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