ASPECTS OF THE INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE (ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT OF APULEIUS “CUPID AND PSYCHE”)

Abstract

An integral part of this work is the history of the study of the influence of ancient mythology on the development of Russian literature in the 18th and 19th centuries. The work analyzes the ancient Greek myth, examines its role in the literary process of Western Europe, determines the impact of European culture on the development of Russian literature and culture in general, examines reasons for the preservation of the “immunity” of Russian literature. The article describes the fate of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, transformed by Apuleius into a literary tale of the same name, in Russia. The literary fairy tale and folklore monument are based on the very popular plot “Beauty and the Beast”. The article proposes an approach to studying the influence of Western literature on Russian literature and culture in order to orient young specialists to consider literary works through the prism of historical events, taking into account the national mentality and the analysis of the author’s worldview.