The Problem of Personality Formation During Pivotal Era on Example of A. N. Tolstoy’s Novel “Peter the Great”

Abstract

Aim. To consider the topic of personality formation, to show the internal psychology of the restructuring of a person’s worldview under the influence of new Western European trends during the Peter the Great era.

Methodology. The study is focused on Vasily Volkov, the steward. Through the poetics of revealing this artistic image, an attempt is made to analyse the main problems of A. N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the First.” Analytical and comparative methods of researching a literary text are used to consider the topic chosen. A detailed and comprehensive understanding of the hero’s character is provided, which helps not only in revealing the complex image, but also leads to an understanding of the global moral issues, raised by the author, concerning the transformation of the Russian state’s way of life under the influence of European innovations. Attention is paid to the psychological struggle. The overwhelming doubts that assail the hero are shown. It is these doubts that become the prototype of the external confrontation between old foundations and new trends.

Results . The analysis of the novel’s text demonstrates how A. N. Tolstoy, through specific characters, their traits, psychology, behaviour, and speech, leads a reader to an understanding of the global spiritual and moral aspects of life at that time, and touches upon the moral and philosophical problems of the clash between Eastern and Western cultures and the preservation of Russian identity. The stylistic and artistic features that help the author to reveal the fullness of the social phenomena of that period are identified. 

Research implications. This research confirms that even secondary characters add a special meaning in A. N. Tolstoy’s work. The significance of the work lies in its in-depth and specific understanding of the plastic embodiment of the topic chosen.