Realistic and romantic ways of death depiction (textual-discourse analysis of short stories “How an old man was dying” by V. Shukshin and “The old cook” by K. Paustovsky)

The article contains comparison of two artistic manners in textual description of one and the same theme - the death of an old man - by a writer of realistic prose (V.Shukshin) and a romantic author (K.Paustovski). The authors of the article ascertain a difference of artistic goals of the both named authors, which ensures originality of their linguistic means and artistic devices. Together with solidarity in the theme the writers are linked by the equality of the idea of spirit power of a little man. But the realistic author affirms the strength of a human spirit while the romanticist emphasizes its beauty. This determines the specific of the reader's aesthetic impressions.