Reflection of the value system in English fiction

Abstract

The article deals with the study of the value picture of the world in English literature and identifies the main values of native English speakers, which determine the features of their communicative behavior in the English literature. At the heart of any ethno-culture there is a system of values that determine the culture of a given people. This system of basic values throughout the development of the nation is manifested in various types of art, one of which is fiction, where the way of life and behavioral motives of the individual and society as a whole are more clearly described. At the heart of any culture there is its inherent system of values, where many of the values accumulated by human society during the development of mankind are universal, as they are accepted by many peoples and nations, but it should be added that their hierarchy on the value scale in different cultures is different. For example, Eastern countries, such as China, are characterized by such values as the unity of society and Man, family, respect for parents and elders, while Western European countries have the primacy of individual values over social ones, independence, individual freedom, equality, and others. A special place is occupied by the preaching genre, because many English writers were Ministers of the Church, it is "the combination of pastoral works and literary activity that is especially characteristic of the English culture of the XVIII century." The active presence of literary priests in public life meant not only a shift in religious consciousness to the secular one, where morality was placed above dogma. English culture forms its own mentality, which, with the help of values, is objectified in literature, determines life guidelines and behavior strategies. Among the main values that are inherent in the English people and expressed in English literature, the following should be identified: personal autonomy, demonstrative politeness, equality, positive thinking and emotional restraint, and love of nature.