System of Images

The system of images is the totality of all the images of a literary work (characters, as well as images of nature, objects, and symbols) in their interconnections, correlations, and interaction, forming an integral artistic unity subordinated to the authorial design. Images in a work do not exist in isolation: they are grouped, opposed, complement one another, and enter into complex relations (main and secondary characters, positive and negative, parallel and contrasting images). The analysis of the system of images allows a deeper understanding of the conflict, the idea, and the composition of a work. For example, in Lesia Ukrainka's drama The Forest Song the system of images is built on the opposition of the world of lofty natural beauty (Mavka, the forest creatures) and the world of everyday earthliness (Lukash's mother, Kylyna), and between them Lukash, who makes a tragic choice. A thought-out, internally motivated system of images is one of the foundations of the artistic integrity and ideational depth of a literary work.