Abstract: The article examines in detail the significance of the astonishment in the work of G. K. Chesterton. In literary studies, this aspect of his work has never been considered in detail. The research material was essays, short stories, literary biographies, novels and treatises of the English writer. The interrelation of astonishment with the motives of miracle, joy, love, paradise is shown. In connection with the motive of astonishment, the author touches on the paradox technique, which is significant for the author. The polemic of Chesterton with modern literature, in particular, with the literature of realism, is investigated. The motive of astonishment is revealed in detail in the article on the example of the novels "The Return of Don Quixote" and "The Man is Alive". In the work of G. K. Chesterton, the motif of astonishment is one of the central ones. It is inextricably linked with the motive of the miracle. The world for the writer is a miracle, acutely experienced in comparison with non-existence. Surprise at the world is an integral part of Chesterton's worldview, which he himself called "the fairy godmother's philosophy." For Chesterton, not only extraordinary things are amazing, but also ordinary things. His characters, discovering the familiar world anew, share their perception with others. The newly found world is often revealed through love, which is inextricably linked in Chesterton's work with the motive of astonishment.

Abstract: The author analyzes literary allusions in detective novels by Agatha Christie. For the first time, allusions to the works of W. Shakespeare, C. Dickens, P. G. Wodehouse, G. K. Chesterton are considered in detail. Many allusions are established for the first time. As a material for writing this article, a large number of novels were used, among which there are also rarely considered texts of the English writer. The meaning of allusions to "Twelfth Night" in the novel "The Sad Cypress" is revealed in detail, to the works of Wodehouse – in the novel "Why not Evans?" In the article, in the context of the studied problem, the features of escapism of the detective genre are considered. Based on the consideration of examples from a number of novels by Agatha Christie, conclusions are drawn about the significance of literary allusions in her novels in general and in specific works in particular. Allusions expand the semantic field of novels, allow Agatha Christie to go beyond the detective story, limited by the principles of formulaic literature, to consider psychological problems, to portray ambiguous characters in the spirit of classical English literature. At the same time, with the help of a significant number of allusions emphasized by the author, the literary nature of what is happening in detective novels is brought to the fore, which largely corresponds to the escapist nature of this genre.

Abstract: The author examines the motive of innocence in the detective novels of Agatha Christie. This motive is being analyzed in detail for the first time. The conceptual basis of the research was the works of W. H. Auden, G. K. Chesterton, D. Cavelty, D. Sayers devoted to the genre of detective literature. Using the example of many novels, the article traces the relationship between the motives of guilt, innocence, paradise lost and others. The motive of love is considered as a motive, in many ways the opposite of the motive of guilt. Special attention is paid in the article to the novel "The Trial of Innocence", on the example of which the motive of innocence and its significance in the motivic structure are revealed. Based on numerous examples, the article shows that the search for truth in Agatha Christie's detectives is essentially equivalent to the defense of innocence. The motive of innocence in Agatha Christie's novels is of great importance and is closely related to the motives of guilt, retribution, justice, good and evil, paradise, trust, and personality formation. The article shows that it is the protection of innocent characters (both victims of crime and those unjustly accused) that is the primary task for those who conduct the investigation. This is due to the idea inherent in the detective genre of restoring the original harmony destroyed as a result of the crime.