Study of literary works about the war in contemporary Ukrainian realities (on the example of Erich Maria Remarque's novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”)

Abstract

The article analyzes the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”, which is devoted to the theme of war. In the modern realities of war, this literature has become extremely relevant. Issues of personality transformation under the pressure of extraordinary tests are considered. Special attention is paid to overcoming the traumatic experience of participation in hostilities, experiencing the phenomenon of mass death. The question of human nature is raised, which demonstrates strange properties (positive, negative and “neutral”) in extreme circumstances. It has been demonstrated that the teaching of the literary works about the war given in the article has not only a theoretical component, but also a practical one related to the challenges of the time. The relevance of the research is determined by the Russian-Ukrainian war, which is a critical challenge for our society. A review of three conventional blocks of works, two works in each, was carried out. Special attention is paid to overcoming traumatic memory and building concepts of strengthening the personality in the crucible of military trials. Author classification of works provided: “literal war” – “All Quiet on the Western Front“ Erich Maria, “A Farewell to Arms“ Ernest Miller Hemingway; "figurative war" – “Plague” Albert Camus, “Lord of the Flies” William Golding William Golding; “runaway war” – “Mr. Sammler's Planet“ Saul Bellow, “The Prince of Tides“ Pat Conroy. Every detail of the novel deserves attention. Images appear in constant dynamics, which allows us to capture various subtle changes in the human psyche. The feeling of a catastrophe that erodes the hero's familiar world is reinforced by the terrible "facts about the war". External aggression in a strange way is intertwined with internal negative transformation in the plot. Special attention is paid to the feeling of inner emptiness caused by the war.