THE IMAGE OF ELDER-ASCETIC IN THE TRIP ESSAY BY I. S. SHMELEV "THE OLD VALAAM"
The article deals with the ways and means of creating an image of an ascetic-old man in the works of I. S. Shmelev. On the material of travel essays «Old Valaam» there analyzed the images of father Damascus, father Nazar, elders Sergius and Herman. In the study, the author concludes that the distinctive features of artistic style of I.S. Shmelev is documentalism, autobiographical accuracy, attraction to the description of mode of life. The analysis allows to state that the images captured in the product, on the one hand, correspond to the canonical representation of the elders (in the stories of the life of the monks celebrated their humility, purity of thoughts, a desire to help others, a true follow God’s commandments). On the other hand, the writer apart righteous characteristics of the image of the Church ascetic, notes such qualities as thrift, strength, hard work.