Folklore traditions in the works by A. S. Pushkin and Mahmud al-Messadi

Allagui Mohamed Salah ORCID: 0009-0007-8588-3461 Master's degree; Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis; University of Carthage 14 Ibn Maja Ave., Tunis, Tunis, 1003 ya.semi@bk.ru

If you ask yourself what unites the most diverse masters of the artistic word, such as A. S. Pushkin and Mahmoud al-Mas'adi, the answer will be simple. This is their ability to saturate their creative genius with samples of folk art. For writers of different eras and cultures, folklore traditions not only serve as a source of inspiration. In their works, they build a literary interpretation for traditional folk tales, giving them worldwide fame. It can be confidently stated that the connection between folklore and literature is one of the fundamental processes of the development of world culture. This symbiosis, manifested in poetic and prosaic types of activity, allows us to trace the evolution of artistic thinking from the most ancient forms of literature to the modern literary process.

Russian Russian folklore Alexander Pushkin, who can be considered the father of Russian literature, was deeply influenced by Russian folklore traditions. His appeal to folk sources, myths and oral tradition in general not only carried artistic potential, but also had a research interest, reflecting a deep perception of Russia's cultural heritage. His nanny, Arina Rodionovna, played a role in his introduction to folk culture. As a child, she told him numerous folk tales and sang songs that could later to some extent leave an imprint on his literary principles. However, as A. D. Soymonov argued, referring to the arguments of P. V. Annenkov, "one cannot explain the poet's interest in folk literature by the influence of Arina Rodionovna on him" ^{[1, p. 171]}. The folklorist scientist appeals to the biographical fact of Pushkin, referring to the period of exile 1824-1826 in Mikhailovsky, about his collection, in particular, folk song poetry and his attitude to folklore, based on the evolution of his creative method. In this regard, A.D. Soymonov is looking for the origins of Pushkin's folklore in understanding nationality, which the poet understood as "a way of thinking and feeling", "a darkness of customs, beliefs and habits belonging exclusively to some people" ^{[1, p. 177]}. The scientific study of Pushkin's folklore heritage has mainly focused on the fairy-tale plots of his works. Let's focus on the most noteworthy views from our point of view.

Posing the question: "Is the poet limited to imitating the models of Russian folk poetry?", R. Yakobson writes: "Pushkin's technique is a collage technique" ^{[2, p. 208]}. At the same time, he explains that "the characters of Pushkin's fairy tales, which were certainly borrowed from Western sources – from the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm, Irving, Gallan – are represented mainly in Russian folklore guise" [Ibid.]. M. Azadovsky and J. McGavran revise the origin of Alexander Pushkin's fairy tales, correlating them with Western European literary sources, in particular The Brothers Grimm. The authors analyze specific fairy tales, revealing fundamental similarities with their works and other European literature, for example, with the works of Washington Irving. They try to prove that Pushkin's appeal to folklore was a well-thought-out response to modern literary and political debates related to the concept of "nationality" or the idea of a national character in literature ^[3]. This response was aimed at overcoming cultural differences in a class-stratified society and expressing national feelings through a universal literary language. Thus, demonstrating his ability to rely on the folk language and the thematic correspondence of both Russian and European folklore, Pushkin, through his works, seeks to accept and elevate oral folk art in order to be on the same level as the cultural development of European literature.

Aiming to find out the sources of the "Tale of the Golden Cockerel", L. Selivanova examines it on the basis of a comparative historical method using literary anthropology. Russian Russian folk tale In her opinion, the great poet created a text perceived as a real Russian folk tale, creatively reworking all the Western and Eastern versions available to him, as well as Russian splints and even literary hoaxes ^[5]. I. Naroditskaya sees in this tale various metamorphoses that the legend of the Arab astrologer undergoes (from the Tales of the Alhambra, 1832), migrating from Washington Irving to Pushkin through his friend Prince D. Dolgoruky ^[5]. Her article "examines the intersections between two literary texts, as well as the transformation of the images of the main characters and their relationships in the context of the central plot – in particular, how the Gothic princess from Irving's fairy tale turns into Pushkin's Queen of Shamakhi, and how the plot correlates with the historical annexation of Azerbaijan to Russia" ^{[5, p. 109]}. V. M. Kasyanova explores Pushkin's fairy tales in terms of reflecting in them various aspects of the life of a Russian person, including the characteristics of the social status of the characters, their traditional occupations, communicative and speech behavior ^[6].

The purpose of this article is a generalized representation of Pushkin's folklore and the identification of patterns of influence of national heritage on the author's literary activity. The proof that folk motifs merged not only with fairy tales, but also with other works of A. S. Pushkin, was facilitated by the use of the following methodological approaches: 1) textual analysis, 2) historical research of the cultural context of Russia in the early 19th century, 3) analysis of folk elements in the language of Pushkin. In addition, the comparative method allowed us to draw a parallel with the phenomenon under consideration in another culture, in particular, using the example of the novel "The Dam" by the Tunisian writer Mahmoud al-Mas'adi. This comparative perspective highlights the universal importance of folk art and highlights common themes in various literary traditions, thereby enriching a common understanding of how folk narratives nourish and complement literary creativity. This approach allows us to innovatively intertwine historical and cultural analysis and literary assessment, to study how the metamorphoses of folk traditions affect both Pushkin's work and the broader literary landscape.

As a result of studying the influence of folklore traditions on Pushkin's artistic worldview, it was possible to identify specific aspects of his creative credo. This:

1. The influence of fairy tales. Russian fairy tales formed the structural and substantive-thematic basis of Pushkin's storytelling type. A vivid example of the folklore approach, primarily to the compositional character, can be seen in Ruslan and Lyudmila, where Pushkin begins with the lines: "The green oak tree at Lukomorye; / The golden chain on the oak is: / Day and night the cat is a scientist / Everything walks around the chain ...", which directly refer to the traditional fairy tale introduction. Such fairy tales as "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" and "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" include traditional Russian folk motifs and characters. Russian russians, for example, can be distinguished by the types of characters embodying traditional characteristics: the evil sisters of the tsaritsa and the matchmakers, who are plotting an insidious plot against the tsar's young wife; the image of the tsar as a typical Russian ruler, powerful but sometimes misled by unkind advisers; Prince Guidon as the Russian ideal of a noble young hero; merchants, who embody the important role of trade. in Russian society. Cultural markers are also observed here: references to traditional Russian holidays and celebrations (preparation for the first meeting of winter, which confirms at the beginning of the tale the story of the girls doing needlework in the house, which was possible after finishing work in the field; the wedding of the tsar; the birth of the hero "by the end of September") ^{[7, pp. 115-116]}; hospitality as a Russian virtue. The most nationally noted works of the folklore genre are probably "The Tale of the Priest and his employee Balda" and "The Tale of the Bear". The first is a satirical folk tale that literally repeats the oral narrative style of traditional Russian fairy tales. It preserves anti-clerical sentiments and directly adopts the language models and structure of oral narration, including its characteristic joking tone and moral lessons [see: 1; 2; 3; 8]. The second one is "written according to Russian folk sources" ^{[7, p. 112]}.

2. Mythological elements.Works such as Ruslan and Lyudmila demonstrate Pushkin's deep integration of Slavic mythological characters. The poem features magical creatures from Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, Kashchei the Immortal, talking magical creatures and supernatural transformations, demonstrating his ability to weave traditional mythological elements into a literary narrative.

3. Historical folklore.Thus, the historical context can be seen in "The Tale of the Priest and his employee Balda," where the priest is shown to be greedy and cowardly, which indicates a broader social criticism of power and class relations. In The Tale of Tsar Saltan, the seaside setting reflects Russia's maritime ambitions and trade routes. Apart from fairy tales, it is impossible not to mention the novel "The Captain's Daughter," in which Pushkin used folk legends, oral historical traditions, and traditional storytelling techniques. In his historical works, factual events are often combined with folklore methods.

4. The genre of storytelling. Pushkin's narrative style often imitated the tradition of oral storytelling, relying on conversational tone, direct appeal to the audience, and structural elements characteristic of folk narratives. Thus, The Tale of Tsar Saltan is distinguished by narrative elements associated with national Russian features, such as: Russian Russian fairy tale and rhythmic patterns are used, including the characteristic triple repetitions; 2) the action takes place in the royal capital with a pronounced dynamic of the Russian royal court; 3) the inclusion of Russian merchant culture through trade guests who bring news between the kingdoms.

Thanks to this approach, his works felt both sophistication and a close connection with traditional oral creativity. Meanwhile, he traces the transformation of individual folk motifs as they move from oral tradition to literary work. For example, studying how the poet changed the traditional motif of the "three trials" in The Tale of Tsar Saltan helps to understand how he adapted and elevated these elements and thereby innovated the genre of storytelling. Instead of the hero completing three tasks to get what he wants (a typical folk structure), Pushkin turned it into three miracles, which are attributes of Guidon Island.: 1) a squirrel cracking golden nuts with emerald kernels; 2) thirty-three armored knights emerging from the waves; 3) The Swan Princess, the most beautiful maiden in the world. This modification serves several purposes at once. First, instead of testing heroic abilities, these miracles become symbols of prosperity and divine favor. Secondly, they create a growing scale of miracles that contributes to the development of the plot. Thirdly, each miracle increases Saltan's curiosity, creating tension in the plot. Fourthly, they serve as proof of the legitimacy of Guidon's rule and his dignity. This modification reflects a shift from the traditional folk focus on individual achievements to broader themes of governance and social harmony.

5. Linguistic heritage. In addition to the narrative content, Pushkin has a following of folklore linguistic traditions. He collected and studied folk songs, proverbs and idiomatic expressions, authenticly introducing them into his works. Returning to The Captain's Daughter, we find in the epigraphs and speeches of the characters in this novel a lot of Russian proverbs and sayings that give the work a folk flavor and express the wisdom of the people. Here are some of them: "Take care of honor when you're young" – this proverb is an epigraph to the novel and emphasizes the importance of honor and dignity; "Take care of your dress when you're young, and honor when you're young" – this is how Andrei Petrovich instructed his son, sending him to service; "Endure, love" – captain Vasilisa Egorovna uses this saying to express hope for the best; "There is no master for sin" – Vasilisa Egorovna, warning Pyotr Grinev against unseemly deeds; "An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar" – epigraph to chapter VIII, emphasizing the undesirability of uninvited guests; "Seven troubles, one answer" – Pyotr Grinev uses this proverb to express determination and readiness for difficulties; "A bad world is better than a good quarrel" – Ivan Ignatievich uses this saying, emphasizing the importance of peace and harmony, etc. In The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, for example, there is an expression such as "Don't get in the wrong sleigh." This approach helped to standardize the Russian literary language, preserving its rich folklore roots.

6. Poetic form. Pushkin's development of the poetic form known as the "Russian meter" was influenced by the study of folk poetry. This form allowed him to convey the rhythm and spirit of traditional Russian verse [see: 8]. An example of the poet's truly folk style is the little-known and unfinished "Tale of the Bear", which is close to a folk song or lament. The plot of the tale boils down to the fact that the man "launched into a bear, / He planted a slingshot in it, / Which is higher than the navel, lower than the liver. / The bear struck the damp earth, / And the man flogged her belly, / Flogged her belly, and skinned her, / Put the little bears in a bag, / And went home after bowing" ^{[9, p. 3]}. Having found out about this, "the bear became sad, / hung his head, howled in a voice" ^{[9, p. 4]}. This cry reflected all the specific features of grieving for the deceased. In addition, Pushkin, according to folklore tradition, endows the animals gathered at the memorial with human qualities, securing for them belonging to a "lesser" or "greater" class.: the bear himself is a boyar, the wolf is a nobleman with "biting teeth", "envious eyes", the beaver with a "fat tail" is a trading guest, the smerd hare is a "white hare, gray hare", the fox is a "podyachikha, treasurer", etc. The bear herself symbolizes maternal care and protection. All these images are nothing but symbols of popular perception.

7. Symbolism is a remarkable characteristic of Pushkin's folklore. It is associated not only with anthropomorphism, which is evident in the above–mentioned fairy tale or "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish", where the goldfish symbolizes not only the fulfillment of desires, but also the rejection of human greed and ingratitude, or "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", in which the image of the cockerel is a symbol of caution and wisdom. So, the three girls from the "Tale of Tsar Saltan" resemble the mythological ancient Greek Moira, who spin the thread of human destiny and to whom the ancient Roman Parks corresponded. And the symbolism of the three miracles is parallel to religious numerology, where the number three has a sacred meaning.

8. Syncretic character of Russian cultural traditions. Pushkin organically combined Christian elements with magical folklore elements, rather than explicitly making religious references. In this, he followed the example of the legends, in which Orthodox Christianity often merged with pre-Christian folk beliefs. In The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Pushkin subtly intertwined Orthodox elements into the magical narrative, which can be seen in the following: 1) the theme of miraculous transformation correlates with Christian ideas about transfiguration: the Swan Princess transforms from a bird into a human being, which resembles religious themes of spiritual metamorphosis; 2) the triple structure is present throughout the tale (a reference to the Holy Trinity); 3) the miracle city on Buyan Island resembles Orthodox church architecture in its features, including golden domes– a characteristic attribute of Russian Orthodox churches; 4) the concept of divine mercy and forgiveness is manifested in the ending of the tale, where Tsar Saltan forgives his wife's persecutors, which reflects Christian virtues; 5) the concept of blessing and grace emerges in magical interventions that help virtuous heroes, similar to the Orthodox idea of divine providence.

9. Interaction with folk poets.Pushkin's communication with folk poets, in particular with Fyodor Slepushkin, also contributed to his understanding and perception of folklore. These exchanges enriched his work and helped him incorporate authentic folk elements into his works [see: 8, pp. 138-151].

It should be noted that Pushkin's works themselves became the subject of folk art. Thus, his fairy tales have always been a favorite theme for the Palekh painting school, the famous ancient center of icon painting and miniature lacquer boxes.

Thus, Pushkin's use of folklore motifs in his works is due to his personal penetration of Russian folk culture, which coincided with the interest in folk traditions that arose in a changing society. By weaving folk elements into his literary works, he created a peculiar literary and artistic style. Folk tales provided rich symbolic and narrative material, which Pushkin was able to transform into literary works that became accessible to a wide Russian audience. Finally, Pushkin considered folklore to be a storehouse of folk wisdom and spiritual truths, which manifested itself in his disclosure of such universal themes as love, fate and justice, but in a pronounced Russian manner.

This trend is not unique to Pushkin. It extends to the literary and creative style of many writers representing different cultures. The custom of oral "retelling" of stories has also experienced a revival in Tunisian culture. A. Y. Korovkina in her book, exploring the complex interaction of traditions and modernization in modern Tunisian folk culture, notes that a modern folklorist acts not only as a keeper of folklore, but also as an innovator, adapting traditional stories to reflect current problems and changes in society.. And the stories told today or forming the subject line of works of fiction can include modern problems and personal experiences, demonstrating that folklore is dynamic and continues to develop ^{[10, pp. 136-139]}.

In this regard, this article suggests discussing the work of Tunisian writer Mahmoud al-Mas'adi (al-Messadi) "The Dam" ("Es'soud" (1940/1955), Eng. "The dam", fr. "Le Barrage" ^[11]) as a text serving as a thread for a philosophical approach. to recognize fluctuations between different forms of thinking, turning it into a point of intersection of folklore motifs and the author's narrative. The philosophical phenomenon of the novel, and in fact the drama, by Mahmoud al-Mas'adi is an attempt to realize a number of modern existential concepts, combining them with ancient Islamic mysticism. The humanization of the theme of fighting human weakness, expressed in the fact that it is difficult for the reader to define the space-time continuum in the narrative, is the author's message to people to act and resist. The epic hero Gilan's resistance to drought, overcoming dangers and suffering in order to realize his dream of building a dam on a barren land, is seen as symbolism combined with mythologization. Sahaba, the goddess of drought, threatens him and his companion Maimuna with misfortunes and troubles if he dares to suppress his weakness. But Mayari's voice, which appears in the hero's imagination but is presented as real, torments him with colorful reminders of his inability to change and becomes the force that was able to resist Sahaba and prompted him to act.

In the very choice of the novel's title, the writer sees a reference to Arab identity, rather to the Islamic background, which brings us back to the memory of Noah's ark, built by him to protect humanity. The purpose of the dam for al-Mas'adi is to revive life on earth, which is being killed by the natural elements. The name Gilan is also symbolic. It was given by the Arabs to jinns and demons, who appeared to man when he traveled through the desert and deserted places in order to lead him astray, appearing in various forms and states. Al-Mas'adi portrayed Gilan, who literally embodies the meaning of the name, namely Ghoul, as can be seen from his actions and muttering. The feminine element plays the role of an intellectual presence in this drama. Thus, Maimuna has a deep symbolic meaning: she is a conscience and a realistic barrier that reminds Gilan of the limits of human capabilities. On the contrary, Mayari is a poetic, romantic symbol of a human dream, a fantastic ghost who gave him her love, feeds his determination and pushes him forward, despite the failure of the experiment. She embodies Gilan's dream.

The mountain as an image, in our opinion, is comparable to Mount Uhud, where revelation descended upon the Holy Prophet, and water for Gilan is life, a symbol of the continuation of life, just like the sky. The sky is Gilan's lifeline and the only solution for change. The hero of the novel says to the owner of the land: "This dusty, wrinkled earth is like an old woman, I will fertilize it with water, fill its womb and bring life." He believes that "there is not a single border or barrier that determination cannot destroy." However, Sahaba's promise comes true: the sky is covered with clouds of anger and revenge, and Gilan rises from earth to heaven. This is how the thinker ends his narration, giving the reader something to think about. He set a difficult task for the hero of the drama: to build a dam in difficult conditions and with his determination to defy the cruelty of nature and the universe, and in case of failure to preserve his honor, which was expressed in an attempt to overcome himself.

The Dam by Mahmoud al-Mas'adi thus reveals its belonging to a literary genre that combines myth, symbolism and folklore. The latter is especially evident in the writing style: most of the book is written in Tunisian Arabic, or Darijah, which confirms the awareness of Tunisian identity and commitment to traditional folk culture.

So, considering the influence of folklore on a variety of examples allows us to speak about its natural character in the expression of interethnic imagery.

In conclusion, it can be concluded that the difference between Pushkin's and al-Mas'adi's approaches to the integration of folklore, which consists in the fact that each author considers folk traditions in the context of his subjects, only enhances the importance of the folklore component for understanding modern literature. Pushkin's approach is not just a reworking of Russian elements, but an introduction to the richness of world literature, overcoming cultural boundaries and elevating the vernacular language to the level of literary sophistication. In Pushkin's works folklore turns into a means of cultural reflection and literary innovation. In al-Mas'adi's literature, on the contrary, folklore merges with a more modern narrative, capturing Tunisian identity and traditional culture through the prism of existing problems. His approach reflects an integration that not only protects folklore, but also reinterprets it within the framework of modern times, allowing the narrative to resonate with the current cultural dynamics of public consciousness. Folklore in this case is not just a legacy of the past, but a living memory that continues to shape and develop the artistic environment. As a result, a comprehensive understanding is emerging of how folklore shapes cultural identity and ultimately optimizes our attitude to modern literature as a means of combining the wise words of the distant past and living realities in different cultures. The prospect of further research may be the relationship between folklore and modern literature, which is very important, since folklore itself, while preserving elements of historical narratives, acquires new features due to the author's influence and changes in social life.

The article is published in the version approved by the reviewers (after receiving a positive review recommending the manuscript for publication) with corrections made by the author (after receiving the editor’s comments, if any).
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