What a moralizing fairy tale Marshak about two loafers. The Tale of Two Loafers: Creation History, Morality and Interesting Facts

It was the middle of March. Spring this year has been smooth and friendly. Occasionally heavy but short rains fell. Already drove on wheels on roads covered with thick mud. Snow still lay in snowdrifts in deep forests and in shady ravines, but settled in the fields, became loose and dark, and from under it in some places large bald spots appeared black, greasy, steamed in the sun. The birch buds are swollen. The lambs on the willows turned from white to yellow, fluffy and huge. The willow has blossomed. The bees flew out of the hives for the first nectar. The first snowdrops timidly appeared in the forest glades.

We were impatiently waiting for old acquaintances to fly into our garden again - starlings, these cute, cheerful, sociable birds, the first migratory guests, joyful heralds of spring. They need to fly many hundreds of miles from their winter camps, from the south of Europe, from Asia Minor, from the northern regions of Africa. Others will have to do more than three thousand miles. Many will fly over the seas: Mediterranean or Black. How many adventures and dangers are on the way: rains, storms, dense fogs, hail clouds, predator birds, shots of greedy hunters. How much incredible effort must be used for such a flight by a small creature, weighing about twenty to twenty-five spools. Indeed, the shooters who destroy the bird during the difficult journey have no heart, when, obeying the mighty call of nature, it strives to the place where it first hatched from an egg and saw sunlight and greenery.

Animals have a lot of their own wisdom, incomprehensible to people. Birds are especially sensitive to changes in the weather and foresee them for a long time, but it often happens that migratory wanderers in the middle of a boundless sea are suddenly overtaken by a sudden hurricane, often with snow. The coast is far away, the forces are weakened by long-range flight... Then the whole flock dies, with the exception of a small particle of the strongest. Happiness for birds if they meet a sea vessel in these terrible minutes. In a whole cloud they descend on the deck, on the wheelhouse, on the gear, on the sides, as if entrusting their little life to the eternal enemy - man. And stern sailors will never offend them, will not offend their quivering gullibility. The maritime beautiful belief even says that inevitable misfortune threatens the ship on which the bird that asked for shelter was killed.

Coastal lighthouses are sometimes disastrous. Lighthouse keepers are sometimes found in the mornings, after foggy nights, hundreds and even thousands of bird corpses on the galleries surrounding the lantern, and on the ground around the building. Exhausted by flight, heavy from sea moisture, the birds, having reached the shore in the evening, unconsciously strive to where light and warmth deceptively beckon them, and in their fast flight they break with their breasts against thick glass, against iron and stone. But an experienced, old leader will always save his pack from this misfortune, taking a different direction in advance. Birds also hit telegraph wires if for some reason they fly low, especially at night and in fog.

Having made a dangerous crossing across the sea plain, the starlings rest all day long and always in a certain, favorite place from year to year. I once saw one such place in Odessa, in the spring. This is a house on the corner of Preobrazhenskaya Street and Cathedral Square, opposite the cathedral garden. This house was then completely black and seemed to be moving all over from a great number of starlings that had settled it everywhere: on the roof, on balconies, cornices, window sills, architraves, window peaks and moldings. And the sagging telegraph and telephone wires were closely humiliated by them, like big black rosaries. My God, how much there was a deafening scream, squeak, whistle, chatter, chirp and all sorts of squabbling fuss, chatter and quarrels. Despite the recent fatigue, they definitely could not sit still for a minute. Every now and then they pushed each other, breaking up and down, circling, flying away and returning again. Only old, experienced, wise starlings sat in solemn solitude and sedately cleaned their feathers with their beaks. The entire sidewalk along the house turned white, and if a careless pedestrian used to gape, then trouble threatened his coat or hat.

Starlings make their flights very quickly, sometimes making up to eighty miles per hour. They will arrive at a familiar place early in the evening, feed themselves, take a little nap at night, in the morning - even before dawn - a light breakfast, and again on the road, with two or three stops in the middle of the day.

So, we waited for the starlings. They fixed the old birdhouses, twisted from the winter winds, hung new ones. We had only two of them three years ago, five last year, and now twelve. It was a little annoying that the sparrows imagined that this courtesy was being done for them, and immediately, at the first warmth, the birdhouses occupied. This sparrow is an amazing bird, and everywhere it is the same - in the north of Norway and in the Azores: nimble, rogue, thief, bully, fighter, gossip and the first impudent. He will spend the whole winter ruffled under a fence or in the depths of a dense spruce, eating what he finds on the road, and a little spring he climbs into someone else's nest, which is closer to home - in a starling or a swallow. And they will kick him out, he is as if nothing had happened ... Ruffles, jumps, shines with his eyes and shouts to the whole universe: “Alive, alive, alive! Alive, alive, alive! Tell me, please, what good news for the world!

Finally, on the nineteenth, in the evening (it was still light), someone shouted: “Look - starlings!”

Indeed, they sat high on the branches of poplars and, after the sparrows, seemed unusually large and too black. We began to count them: one, two, five, ten, fifteen ... And next to the neighbors, among the trees transparent in spring, these dark, motionless lumps swayed easily on flexible branches. That evening, the starlings had neither noise nor fuss. It always happens when you return home after a long hard journey. On the road you are fussing, in a hurry, worrying, but you arrived - and everything at once seemed to be softened from the previous fatigue: you sit, and you don’t want to move.

For two days, the starlings seemed to be gaining strength and everyone visited and examined last year's familiar places. And then the eviction of sparrows began. At the same time, I did not notice especially violent clashes between starlings and sparrows. As a rule, starlings sit high above the birdhouses for two days and, apparently, carelessly chatting about something among themselves, while they themselves with one eye, sideways, gaze intently down. The sparrow is terribly and difficult. No, no - he will stick his sharp, cunning nose out of the round hole - and back. Finally, hunger, frivolity, and perhaps timidity make themselves felt. “I’m flying away,” he thinks, “for a minute and now back. Maybe I'll overreach. Maybe they won't notice." And as soon as he has time to fly off to a sazhen, like a starling with a stone down and already at home. And now the end of the sparrow temporary economy has come. Starlings guard the nest in turn: one sits - the other flies on business. Sparrows will never think of such a trick: a windy, empty, frivolous bird. And so, with chagrin, great battles begin between the sparrows, during which fluff and feathers fly into the air. And the starlings sit high on the trees, and even tease: “Hey you, black-headed. You won’t be able to overcome that yellow-breasted one forever and ever.” - "How? To me? Yes, I have it now! - "Come on, come on ..." And the dump will go. However, in spring all animals and birds, and even boys, fight much more than in winter.

Having settled in the nest, the starling begins to drag all sorts of construction nonsense there: moss, cotton wool, feathers, fluff, rags, straw, dry blades of grass. He builds a nest very deep, so that a cat does not crawl through it with its paw or sticks its long predatory beak of a raven. They cannot penetrate further: the inlet is rather small, no more than five centimeters in diameter.

And then soon the earth dried up, fragrant birch buds blossomed. Fields are plowed, vegetable gardens are dug up and loosened. How many different worms, caterpillars, slugs, bugs and larvae creep out into the light of day! That is expanse! The starling never in the spring looks for its food either in the air on the fly, like swallows, or on a tree, like a nuthatch or a woodpecker. His food is on the ground and in the ground. And do you know how much it exterminates during the summer of all kinds of insects harmful to the garden and vegetable garden, if you count by weight? A thousand times its own weight! But he spends his whole day in continuous movement.

Alexander Kuprin

We were impatiently waiting for old acquaintances to fly into our garden again - starlings, these cute, cheerful, sociable birds, the first migratory guests, joyful heralds of spring. They need to fly many hundreds of miles from their winter camps, from the south of Europe, from Asia Minor, from the northern regions of Africa. Others will have to do more than three thousand miles. Many will fly over the seas: Mediterranean or Black. How many adventures and dangers are on the way: rains, storms, dense fogs, hail clouds, birds of prey, shots of greedy hunters. How much incredible effort must be used for such a flight by a small creature, weighing about twenty to twenty-five spools. Indeed, the shooters who destroy the bird during the difficult journey have no heart, when, obeying the mighty call of nature, it strives to the place where it first hatched from an egg and saw sunlight and greenery.

Coastal lighthouses are sometimes disastrous. Lighthouse keepers are sometimes found in the mornings, after foggy nights, hundreds and even thousands of bird corpses on the galleries surrounding the lantern, and on the ground around the building. Exhausted by flight, heavy from sea moisture, the birds, having reached the shore in the evening, unconsciously rush to where the light and heat deceptively beckon them, and in their quick flight they break their breasts against thick glass, iron and stone. But an experienced, old leader will always save his pack from this misfortune, taking a different direction in advance. Birds also hit telegraph wires if for some reason they fly low, especially at night and in fog.

Finally, on the nineteenth, in the evening (it was still light), someone shouted: “Look - starlings!”

It is interesting to watch when he, walking between the beds or along the path, hunts for his prey. His gait is very fast and slightly clumsy, with a waddle from side to side. Suddenly he stops, turns to one side, to the other, tilts his head first to the left, then to the right. Quickly peck and run further. And again, and again ... Its black back casts in the sun a metallic green or purple, chest in brown specks. And there is so much something businesslike, fussy and funny in him during this trade that you look at him for a long time and involuntarily smile.

It is best to observe the starling early in the morning, before sunrise, and for this you need to get up early. However, an old clever saying says: "He who got up early did not lose." If you sit quietly in the morning, every day, without sudden movements somewhere in the garden or in the garden, then the starlings will soon get used to you and will come very close. Try throwing worms or bread crumbs to the bird, first from afar, then decreasing the distance. You will achieve that after a while the starling will take food from your hands and sit on your shoulder. And when he arrives next year, he will very soon resume and conclude his former friendship with you. Just don't betray his trust. The only difference between the two of you is that he is small and you are big. The bird, on the other hand, is a very intelligent, observant creature: it is extremely memoryful and grateful for any kindness.

Many people know the works of Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky, which instill in young readers a love for nature and wildlife. Even household items come to life in his texts, they have their own character and history. In grades 2-3, students get acquainted with the works of the writer and write down their feedback on what they read. This article contains a summary for reader's diary along with other attributes: genre, year of writing and main characters. Almost every piece comes with a cartoon. Information can help parents check homework or in helping children with it.

Paustovsky - reader's diary

Hello dear parents, I am glad to welcome you to the blog. The summer has passed and I present a report on the work of my son with the works of Konstantin Paustovsky. Each school has its own program, usually they are asked after 2-3 grades, some even go through the 5th. We have worked extensively with each of them. I wrote in detail about working with literature in an article. By the way, if your child is given this work, do not be too lazy to go and read the work plan on it.

Today I will not repeat myself, otherwise the article of nine fairy tales and stories will become limitless. Everything will be short and to the point. Just to clarify that I do not adhere to the requirement of 5-6 sentences. I will say more - I do not understand pedagogical requirement cut the child's retelling, squeeze his thinking into the frame. I try to teach my son “not to smear” the narrative, but at the same time to identify the main points of what he read.

The end of the article will be a description of two completely different books on which we worked. One resembles a visit to an art museum, the second is made in the version familiar to all of us. In the course of reading, from the photographs to the described works, you will notice the difference. If you want to have K. Paustovsky in your home library, read my review below, I hope it will help you in your choice. Let's get started!

Paustovsky "Steel ring" - reader's diary

Name: steel ring
Genre: fairy tale
Written: 1946
Number of pages: 22

main characters

Grandfather Kuzma;
girl Barbara;
two fighters;
Sparrow Sidor.

Grandfather Kuzma and his granddaughter Varya lived in the village of Mokhovo. Grandfather was tormented by a cough, and to make him feel better, Varya went to the neighboring village for shag. There she met two fighters and treated one of them to her grandfather's shag. To thank her, the fighter gave steel ring and explained what miracles it would bring. On the way home, Varya lost her present and stuck it in the snow. spruce branch to return later. The girl was very upset that the ring could not help grandfather Kuzma to recover. She asked the old sparrow Sidor to find the ring, but the bird refused. In the spring, Varya returned to that place and found the loss under the melted snow. She put a steel ring on middle finger and wished health for grandfather. And he recovered.

My opinion

The girl Varya is brave, kind, caring, and she also believes in miracles. She loves her grandfather and her village very much. Even the wish she wanted to make was for her grandfather's health. Paustovsky's tale teaches us to take care of loved ones, love the place in which we live and believe in a miracle.

There is no magic in the work, nevertheless, the author attributed it to the fairy tale genre. Apparently, Konstantin Georgievich wanted the children to read it in anticipation of the miracles that happen around us all the time.

Movie

Watching the video is a great way to reinforce the material. Please do this only after reading the text and in no case base your review in the reader's diary on what you have seen. Films quite clearly reveal the essence for the child, but often they have an addition or change to the original.

Reader's diary - Paustovsky "Dense Bear"

Name: prime bear
Genre: fairy tale
Written: 1947
Number of pages: 17

main characters

Boy Petya;
grandmother Anisya;
a bear nicknamed Dense.

Minor Heroes

Beavers;
woodpecker;
Crow;
bumblebees and bees;
blackberry bush;
a ruff named Spipoyad;
perch.

Lived with grandmother Anisya, her grandson Petya-small. The boy was an orphan. Grandmother called him wild because he is unsociable. But Petya was inquisitive, attentive, kind and loved nature. Grandmother arranged for her granddaughter to be a shepherd of calves near the High River, where he had the opportunity to observe animals, insects, birds and communicate with them. Petya did not offend living beings, and for this they loved him. One day an old bear wanted to eat one of the calves. The shepherd boy could not cope with the beast himself and asked nature for help. Everyone responded to his request: plants, fish, animals, birds, insects. The bear retreated and all beaten, without a tail, went into hibernation in the fall.

My opinion

This fairy tale teaches to love nature, not to offend her. And also ask for help when you are in danger. Friendship developed between the boy and the inhabitants of the river, which saved his life. Friendship is a great wealth.

audio fairy tale

If your child perceives information better by ear, I advise you to let him listen to an audio fairy tale a day or two after reading. So the text is better remembered.

K. Paustovsky "Cat-thief" - reader's diary

Name: thief cat
Number of pages: 7
Genre: story
Written: 1935

main characters

Red cat nicknamed Thief;
the narrator;
Lenka is the son of a village shoemaker;
Reuben is a friend of the narrator.

Rybakov was constantly robbed by a stray cat. The guys were eager to see the thief, but he knew how to hide well. After several thefts, the children became desperate. They wanted to catch the thief and give him a good blow. Finally, the cat was caught, but when they examined it, they saw a skinny and hungry creature. Instead of a thrashing, the captured was given enough to eat. The cat stayed with the fishermen and never stole again.

My opinion

Paustovsky's story teaches us a kind attitude towards animals. If people punished a cat with cruelty, he would still earn his living by stealing. Now I will think about why a person or animal did a bad deed, and how I could influence their further behavior.

Informative lesson

Dear parents, if you are in doubt about how to have a discussion with your little student, watch the video below. teacher primary school draws attention to everything right moments and brings the child to the main idea of the work.

Paustovsky "Inhabitants of the old house" for the reader's diary

Name: Residents of the old house
Number of pages: 14
Genre: story
Written: 1944

main characters

Dachshund Funtik;
cat Stepan;
Rooster Gorlach;
skinny black chicken;
little green frog;
Master Galveston is an imaginary hero;
starling;
watch clocks;
music Box;
storyteller.

Don't be surprised by things among the characters. Konstantin Georgievich endowed them with animated qualities in the story, showing that they are full-fledged residents and each of them has his own character.

The story is told on behalf of the author, who arrived in the summer from Moscow to the dacha. Living in an old house, he carefully observes its inhabitants. How the measured life of the cat Stepan changed when the dachshund Funtik appeared. Further, the rooster pecked Funtik for the stolen crust of bread. How a skinny black chicken could cackle on the roof for hours. And how a little green frog looked at the fire for a long time. People found in the attic an old box made by the Scottish craftsman Galveston. They imagined his presence and fantasized how he worked. However, the music from the box was heard only once. The songs of the starling, reminiscent of African motifs, were constantly listened to by the inhabitants of the house.

My opinion

The author teaches us observation and love for nature. He notices all the inhabitants of the house: not only animals, but also old things. Everyone probably has things whose history is unknown, Paustovsky pushes to learn more about them. In addition, the animals of his house are so different. They are not always happy to be around, but still get along together. So we, people, live together and find a common language.

Cartoon

The cartoon created based on the work of the same name can only be viewed as a recreation. The hand-drawn stories are really beautiful, but what you see is in no way suitable for a review. Here, even the breed of the dog does not match.

“Farewell to summer” Paustovsky - a review for a reader's diary

Name: Farewell to summer
Number of pages: 5
Genre: story
Written: 1940

main characters

The narrator;
Reuben;
grandfather Mitriy;
animals.

The author and his friend Reuben live in an old house in the village. Summer has already passed, the end of November is coming, but the guys still remember the warmth. After all, it is raining outside the window, it gets dark early and only the fire in the stove, tea from the samovar, and reading books make you feel cozy in the autumn. The cat and the dachshund Funtik are sleeping more and more. One night, the narrator and Reuben woke up and saw that everything was white outside the window. They were shocked by the silence of winter after long, noisy rains. Grandfather Mitriy came to visit to drink tea and talk. After that, the guys went to the river and admired the first winter day.

My opinion

Not everyone likes a cloudy autumn, but the residents of the house were able to find positive even in it. It seems to me that the story is called "Farewell to Summer" because until the snow fell, the boys still remembered the summer warmth. But the winter time is also good and the guys spent it just as well as the summer.

Konstantin Paustovsky "Warm Bread" for the reader's diary

Name: warm bread
Number of pages: 15
Genre: fairy tale
Year of writing: 1945

main characters

Boy Filka;
miller Pankrat;
black horse.

Minor Heroes

Grandmother Filka;
children and old people from the village;
old magpie;
snowstorm and severe frost;
warm wind.

The cavalry detachment left a wounded horse in the village of Berezhki. Everyone in the village respected the horse and fed it with what they could. Once Filka, nicknamed Well You, offended an animal by hitting him on the lips and throwing bread into deep snow. At the same moment, a blizzard began and a severe frost hit. The grandmother told her grandson about the same frost a hundred years ago, which happened because of human anger. And Filka realized that he had to correct his mistake, otherwise the villagers would die. After that, he went to the miller Pankrat for advice, but he asked him to find a solution on how to save people himself.

The next morning, the boy persuaded the guys to break the ice so that the mill would work. The warm wind that the magpie called also helped people. The mill started working and bread was baked in every house. Filka took a loaf of freshly baked bread and brought it to the horse. Although not immediately, the horse accepted the gift and laid its muzzle on the boy's shoulder. So they reconciled.

My opinion

“Warm Bread” is not too like a fairy tale, the events take place during the Great Patriotic War. So, this tale teaches us not to humiliate either man or animal. And also recognize your mistakes and correct them. Also ask for forgiveness and forgive. I think that the boy Filka changed after this incident and became kinder.

Cartoon

I would say one of the most similar animations to the original, but it also has changes. At the same time, it seems to me, the very essence is withdrawn. If you don't read the story, you probably won't understand. main idea author. But as a repetition I advise you to view.

Paustovsky "Quaksha" - a summary for the reader's diary

Name: tree frog
Number of pages: 14
Genre: fairy tale
Written: 1954

main characters

Tanya is five years old;
uncle Gleb;
tree frog;
Martin.

Minor Heroes

Worker Arisha;
evil blind-sighted chicken;
The girl's father is an agronomist.

There was a summer drought from which all living things suffered. IN country house lived a little girl Tanya. She was kind, inquisitive and attentively listened to the conversations of adults about the heat. Uncle Gleb also lived with her - an avid fisherman, to whom Tanya asked many questions. Once a local frog climbed into the cellar and devastated stocks of worms for fishing. The uncle wanted to give the thief to be eaten by an evil chicken, but the girl interceded and saved the tree frog. For this reason, the frog really wanted to thank his savior. She knew how people are waiting for rain, so she turned to the swallow for help. She promised to help, and the tree frog began to croak so loudly that it woke up the whole village. The next morning, many small birds drove a rain cloud, and it began to rain. In conclusion, everyone began to respect the frog: Gleb shared worms with her, Arisha stopped being afraid of her, and Tanya played hide and seek with her in the garden.

My opinion

In the fairy tale, the girl is the kindest character: she feeds the evil hen, saves the tree frog, cries about dried plants. No wonder the frog answered her kindly.

Cartoon

Well-acted cartoon, in which half of the characters are missing. Well, think for yourself, it was filmed in 1973, how could it be shown that the collective farm agronomist has a housekeeper? Despite this, I advise you to watch it.

Paustovsky "Badger nose" - reader's diary

Name: badger nose
Genre: story
Written: 1935
Number of pages: 4

main characters

Fishermen;
a boy of nine;
badger.

The fishermen set up their camp near the lake where they fished. They burned a fire day and night to scare away the animals. One evening at the smell fried potatoes a little badger came. Despite the presence of people, he jumped to the pan in which the potatoes were fried and burned very badly. The animal was in pain, he ran away screaming at the whole forest. The next morning, the boy, who arrived with the fishermen, saw how the badger treated the injured nose. He made a hole in an old stump and where it was wet and cool stuck his muzzle. A year later, the fisherman saw the animal again, it had a scar after the burn.

My opinion

I was surprised that the badger decided to come so close to people. I felt sorry for the animal when he burned himself, because he only wanted to eat. What impressed me the most was the boy's powers of observation. Maybe he was inventing something, or maybe he really saw things that he told adults about. And in the end it was amazing how the beast found salvation from pain. But there was a feeling that the badger did not like people, he snorted and sneezed angrily when he saw them.

Sounded filmstrip

In fact, this filmstrip is a well-illustrated version of the text. As I wrote earlier - look only after the child has read the work in the original. But if you do not have this story in the book and you are going to look for it online, then it is better to turn off the sound of the computer and let the student read and look at the pictures in this video. Then write a review.

Paustovsky "Hare paws" for the reader's diary

Name: hare paws
Genre: story
Written: 1937
Number of pages: 9

main characters

Hare;
Vanya Malyavin;
grandfather Larion;
rural veterinarian;
grandmother Anisya;
Karl Petrovich - city doctor;
pharmacist.

After a severe forest fire, Vanya came to the village veterinarian with an injured hare. But the doctor kicked him out, not wanting to help the animal. When grandmother Anisya saw the boy crying, she advised him to take the patient to the city to Karl Petrovich. Grandfather and Vanya went there the next morning, but could not find a doctor. Then one pharmacist gave them the address, but it turned out that they were going to the pediatrician. Grandfather Larion persuaded the doctor to help the hare, whom he later left to live. Only after a while did he tell his grandson that if it were not for the hare, grandfather would have burned down in that fire.

My opinion

This story is about human kindness and responsiveness. Proverbs fit well here: “Life is given for good deeds” and “Debt is red in payment”. Almost everyone reacted with sympathy to the injured animal, people wanted to help the hare, that is, to do good. The author teaches compassion. Only one veterinarian was indifferent to someone else's pain. In life, too, there are such people. But the grandfather did not give up, he cured the hare and thus repaid him for saving his life.

Sounded filmstrip

It seemed strange to me that, according to a story with such deep meaning didn't make a cartoon. But enough filmstrips have been released. I chose this one because it is voiced by different voices, although in my opinion the pace of reading is a little faster than the children need. What is missing here? As always, the most important thing is the ending available in the original.

Books on our shelf

I will tell you very briefly about two copies that are available in our home library. Initially, I purchased a relatively simple and, accordingly, more economical book from the Makhaon publishing house. It is more complete in content: 6 stories and 4 fairy tales. See her in Ozone. My son and I read, worked on the Disheveled Sparrow and I wanted more. From the school bench I remember such wonderful works as the Telegram, the Basket with fir cones, the Gift, which were absent from us.

For this reason, I began to look for a second copy and chose not quite what I was looking for ... Publishing House Rech released a magnificent gift collection with illustrations by Gennady Epishin. And I couldn't resist. In addition to additional fairy tales Konstantin Georgievich, we got aesthetic pleasure. Everything is fine here: format, paper, footnotes with explanations of unfamiliar words, paintings by the artist (there is no other way to call them). In other words, this is one of the best specimens on our shelves. Let's compare what's inside.

As you can see, I was left without what I was looking for, but our immersion in the author's work took place. As a result, this article was born. Over time, I will definitely acquire the missing works, I really like what they teach.

Conclusion

In the end, I will say that I literally enjoy teaching my son the Russian language. If this is your first time on my blog, I will clarify that we live outside of Russia. It is always a pleasure to see the results of one's work, in this case it is the child's understanding of texts in Russian, the ability to analyze them and draw independent conclusions. Recording summary for a reader's diary - this is a small part of the work with the works of Paustovsky, which I really like. Thanks to them, the child comprehends the problems of morality, kindness, caring for others. I observe the formation of my boy's personality through literature. Isn't that what we all strive for?