ALYOSHA POPOVICH AS A LITERARY HERО IN “RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES” BY VASILY A. LEVSHIN

Folkloric heroes were turned into characters of literary works of different genres in 18th-century Russian literature. One of them is bogatyr Alyosha Popovich. The distinctive features of the epic hero are such personal traits as astuteness, dexterity, boldness. Vasily A. Levshin perfectly turned to them to pen “Povest’ o Aleshe Popoviche bogatyre, sluzhivshem knyazyu Vladimiru” (A Tale of Bogatyr Alyosha Popovich Serving Prince Vladimir) in his “Russkie skazki” (Russian Tales; 1780?1783). Due to his prankish nature the protagonist performs deeds of valour. He shields the Alanian Kingdom from calamity and makes it a part of the dominion of the Prince Vladimir of Kiev; he defeats the demon Beelzebub acquitting the Polish wizard Tverdovsky of his oaths taken to one of the princes of Hell; he conquers the Tsar-Maiden and takes her to wife. The epic hero becomes a literary character in Levshin’s story. Under going genre transformations he acquires personal traits and appears as the protagonist of the tale that comprises both folk and literary genres.