The Scarlet Flower. The Tale of the Key Keeper Pelageya

Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov (1791 - 1859) - a Russian writer, literary and theatrical critic. He was born in Ufa into a noble family belonging to an ancient lineage, graduated from the Kazan Gymnasium, and entered Kazan University. In the gymnasium, S.T. Aksakov began writing poetry, and during his university years, he participated in the student theater. Without completing his studies, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he took a job in the Commission for the Compilation of Laws as a translator. However, this work was not very interesting to the future writer, who became increasingly interested in literary activities. In 1847, S.T. Aksakov published "Notes on Fishing", and in 1849 - "Notes of a Gun Hunter", both books were significantly successful. However, the writer truly gained fame with his autobiographical works - "Family Chronicle" (1856) and "Childhood Years of Bagrov's Grandson" (1858), written based on childhood memories and family traditions. As an appendix to "Childhood Years of Bagrov's Grandson", the tale "The Scarlet Flower" was also published. According to the author himself, he first heard the plot of "The Scarlet Flower" from the key keeper Pelageya: "This tale, which I heard for several years a dozen times because I liked it very much, I later memorized and told it myself." "The Scarlet Flower" is one of the many variations of the European fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". This work teaches readers to value not outer beauty in a person, but spiritual qualities and a rich inner world. The heroine of the tale was able to see that behind the terrifying exterior of the beast lies a kind and loving heart, and she was able to love "the forest beast, the sea miracle", thereby breaking the spell.