The literary element in the art world of "Poor people" by F.M. Dostoevsky

The direct and indirect attitude of the characters to literature is the subject of the research in the article. The factor of image formation is revealed in the literary element. Two aspects of attention, the heroes in the role of "readers" and "writers", are used. The heroine of the epistolary novel is Varya Dobroselova whose reader’s preferences are more developed and constant. She equally appreciates the works of Pushkin and Gogol and does not instinctively take pseudo-literature. The hero’s (Makar Devushkin) literary taste is initially undeveloped, but dynamically changes in the course of the plot. The article shows a brief overview of this evolution. Makar "outgrowing" the fascination with pseudo-literature is fond of Pushkin and Gogol. He takes their works to heart and radically discerns them as a result. He extols Pushkin for the truth of reflecting the life of the "little man" and is indignant at Gogol for the same truth. The difference is reflected in the author's position. In the first case sympathy is expressed, in the second conviction. Makar shows the signs of creativity in his own letters with the development of literary sensitivity and taste for genuine literature. Conclusion. According to the dynamics of internal development the image of Makar as the hero of the first novel remained unsurpassed even in the later works of Dostoevsky. Thus, the central image was the expression of the writer's idea of "restoring" a person in his true dignity.