Ivan the Fool is the smartest of them all: how fairy tales reveal the Russian character discussed at a Literary Club meeting
A Russian
folk tale is not only a collection of magical adventures, but also a subtle
"portrait" of the national character. This was discussed at a meeting
of the Literary Club "What to Read?!" at the National Centre RUSSIA
by philologist, writer and host of the "Inside Out of Fairy Tales"
programme on Silver Rain Radio Ulyana Nizhinskaya. According to her, the image
of Ivan the Fool and other familiar characters helps reveal how the culture
itself views luck, work and trust in the world.
"What makes the Russian folk tale unique is that its hero can spend a
third of the story lying on the stove — and this is not a paradox, but a strategy.
Different traditions have their own 'simpletons' — Sweden has Ashlad and
England has Jack — but they behave differently. Ashlad schemes and calculates,
while Ivanushka on the stove trusts in fate. Our fairy tales contain the
contradictions of the Russian soul: Ivan the Fool is smarter than all the
clever people, Baba Yaga is frightening but helpful, and death is hidden in the
form of a symbol of life," the philologist explained.
Ulyana Nizhinskaya noted that fairy tales alone cannot provide a complete
understanding of a country, but through them it is possible to hear its
"secret fears and dreams" — its attitudes towards order, luck, risk
and miracles. German stories more often focus on rules and discipline, Arab
tales on trade and the power of words, while Russian tales suggest that
"you can sleep through half a kingdom, but wake up just in time for a
miracle". This is why, the expert believes, a discussion of Ivan the Fool
is not a joke about a lazy hero, but an opportunity to reflect on how a culture
explains its own vulnerability, hope and faith in an unexpected turn of fate.
The Literary Club "What to Read?!" at the National Centre RUSSIA will
continue its work. At its meetings, experts introduce audiences to contemporary
literary trends, help broaden their literary horizons and discover new meanings
in familiar stories.
Architecture is an art form that people interact with constantly: it is impossible to distance yourself from it or simply ignore it.
Everyone has their own answer to the question "What Does the Motherland Begin With?".
A meeting of the Literary Club "What to Read?", dedicated to the image of the person of the future in the works of Ivan Yefremov, will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA.
