Artistic Concept of Personality as a Means of Developing Schoolchildren's Critical Thinking (Based on the Works of Nikolai Gogol and Western European Novels)

This article examines the artistic concept of personality as an effective pedagogical tool for developing critical thinking among school students. Based on the analysis of literary works by Nikolai Gogol and Western European novelists, the study explores how literary characters embody social, moral, and psychological contradictions that stimulate analytical reasoning. The research relies on established literary criticism and pedagogical theories to demonstrate that engagement with complex fictional personalities enhances students’ ability to interpret, evaluate, and reflect critically.