"STANYUKOVICH MYSTERY" IN THE REFLECTION OF SCIENCE AND CRITICS
Stories and novels by Konstantin Mikhailovich Stanyukovich about the sea and marine life are very popular both among the children and among the adult audience of readers. However, we must remember that the creative legacy of Stanyukovich is divided into two groups of works. One group of texts depicts the sea and the life of sailors, and another group of texts depicts the usual social life of Russia in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. On this basis, a scientific problem, which can be called the "Stanyukovich mystery", arises. The problem lies in the fact that Stanyukovich simultaneously created works that differ greatly in content and in form. Why is one group of works popular with readers, and the other group does not have such popularity? In different epochs, literary critics and scholars have sought answer to this question. They gave very different answers to this question. This article summarizes the views of literary critics and scholars. The results of this article should help modern scientists find the full answer to the "Stanyukovich riddle".