Studying the axiological content of a literary work

The article deals with the problem of identifying and studying axiological ideas of a writer which have found expression in his/her work. Values form the basis of a writer’s (as well as any person’s) worldview and originate from their religious, philosophical, ethical and aesthetic ideas. Due to external or internal reasons, some idea is actualized in the writer’s mind and by means of his / her talent turns into the idea of a literary work. The combination of literary forms and means of implementing various aspects of the writer’s idea creates the content of the work. The idea of a literary work occupies the dominant position in relation to all the elements of its content and form, and therefore it has repeatedly become a subject of scientific consideration. One of its results has been the discovery of a complex internal structure of a literary work idea. The author of the article summarizes the obtained experience using theoretically justified terms to describe the structure of the idea: an external idea, an internal idea, the main idea, and ideological synthesis. Deep and complete understanding of the essence of a literary work idea and its connection with the idea of the writer’s individual consciousness allowed the author of the article to formulate the method making it possible to study the process of implementing the writer's axiological ideas into the images of his / her work. The method is based on the principle of simultaneous and continuous movement from the form of a literary work to its content, and from the content - to its form. The form is studied by means of philological analysis, while the content is analyzed with the help of fideistic resources. The data obtained while studying each element of the form and content are mutually supplemented and verified, resulting in a complete and consistent view of the literary work content.