"The Russian Fairy Tale" is Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp's final work on the fairy tale, concluding his life's scholarly research. In this book, the author continues his reflections on the structure of fairy tales and their origins. Propp firmly believes that the study of this genre of folklore and literature should be conducted within the framework of a broad comparative historical analysis. Comparing Russian fairy tales with their foreign equivalents, identifying stable and variable elements, he establishes the enduring unity of the fairy tale's composition amid the endless diversity of its plots. Analyzing the actions of characters that seem incomprehensible and even illogical to modern readers, the scholar concludes that much of them can be explained by the legacy of primitive totemic beliefs. Thus, Propp addresses questions of the irrational poetics of fairy tales, placing his research on a par with the works of E. Tylor, J. Frazer, and L. Lévy-Bruhl. "A fairy tale is filled with the greatest tension. It is by no means static, it never describes or characterizes, it strives for action," Propp told his students. "Its action takes place outside of time and space."