THE WAY FROM FAMILYLESSNESS TO FAMILYHOOD ON THE EXAMPLE ON H. MALOT’S NOVEL “WITHOUT FAMILY”

Abstract

The article focuses on the importance of childhood as a separate stage in the formation of personality and didactic literature for children. It has been indicated that a full-fledged personality cannot be formed in a situation of familylessness (which must be overcome through the acquisition and acceptance into the family as We, and the family may not be biological as well) on the example of re-reading of the novel “Without a Family” by H. Malot. The advantage of the author's development of the father's image over the mother's has been stated. The author constructed a positive image of the father in a comprehensive manner through its components from different characters who perform the function of the father with the highlighted markers of wisdom, diligence, knowledge, experience and professionalism.The way of the main character Remy, who became an image of the ideal fate of an orphan without orphanhood through his inclusion in a non-biological family from the beginning of the novel, has been analyzed through the acceptance of non-biological fatherhood, but effective in shaping his positive ideal of a father. The system of value coordinates of the child modelled by H. Malot is indisputable: love, mutual assistance, family and the joy of childhood. It has been underlined that by focusing on the character's overcoming the injustice of the world, his movement towards childhood in a family, the author deliberately denied the concept of ‘without a family’ deceptively declared by the title of the novel. H. Malot consistently proved that Remy deserves the happiness of familyhood and serves as a positive didactic example for children as readers. Despite all the melodramatically complex twists and turns of fate, the modus operandi of childhood joy is dominant in this novel. It has been stated that H. Malot's novel “Without Family” illustrates the paradigm of childhood-as-joy-despite-anything.