SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL RATIONALE FOR TEACHING THE MORAL AND ETHICAL IDEAS OF MKHITAR GOSH IN HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

Mkhitar Gosh enjoyed great authority not only among intellectuals but also among the political and state figures of his time, serving as the confessor and advisor to Zakare Yerkaynabazuk (Zakare the Long-armed). Mkh. Gosh compiled his collection of fables for educational purposes. For him, the fable was a publicistic tool designed to praise virtues, ridicule foolishness, stupidity, and ignorance, as well as to scourge evil. Mkh. Gosh's collection of fables is the first prose work in Armenian literature written as a literary and artistic creation. In this sense, Mkh. Gosh stands as the founder of artistic prose in Armenian literature. In high school humanities tracks, the analysis of a literary text must go beyond mere plot retelling. When teaching Gosh's works, the methodological framework is built upon the principles of semantic exploration. Since the medieval fable is imbued with symbolic thinking, it requires not a superficial reading, but the ability to "read between the lines”. Gosh's fables are constructed as "intellectual riddles." They feature an outer layer (dialogues between animals or plants) and an inner layer (legal and moral-ethical norms). In the learning process, the student assumes the role of a "decoder," making a logical leap from image to idea. The literary text becomes a moral testing ground, where the artistic fabric serves as a vehicle for conveying supreme values. The focus of analysis shifts from the plot to moral categories such as justice, honor, loyalty, and equality. Each fable by Gosh is a value formula to be discussed and evaluated during the lesson.