Funeral rite in the structure of the works of M.Y. Lermontov

The subject of the study was the specifics of the image of the funeral rite in the works of Lermontov. The object of research is the novels "Vadim", "Hero of our time", poems "Demon", "Sashka", drama "Masquerade". The author of the article examines in detail the plot-compositional role of the funeral rite, the ways of its inclusion in the work, reveals the problem of the perception of death by the heroes, clarifies the nature of Lermontov's interaction with the folklore tradition. The article uses biographical, comparative-typological methods, the method of theoretical poetics, as well as methods of motivic and mythopoetic analysis of a literary work. The author of the article revealed the reasons for the inclusion of the funeral rite in the works, showed the attitude of Lermontov's heroes to death. The main conclusions of the study are the following: the funeral rite is the most frequent in Lermontov, which is explained biographically by the early loss of his mother. Scenes of funerals and burials are found in works of different genres, this determines the ways of their representation. In prose, the funeral rite is most often given in the form of a memory, while Lermontov is psychologically reliable, takes into account the peculiarities of memory, he places special emphasis on the perception of death by a child. Lermontov's funeral rite is associated with a female character, the funeral rite is often preceded by a wedding ceremony. The death of the heroine is interpreted as a return to her native land ("Bela") or the acquisition of eternal life.