Abstract. The paper deals with ways of developing critical thinking by means of literary works. It represents a number of analytical, searching, and cognitive tools aimed at activating thinking operations in the process of reading and interpreting fiction texts. It also focuses on the active methods of studying literary words (event analysis, fishbone structures, socionist analysis) which develop student critical thinking. The results of the research have proved that modern openness of literary education allows diversifying the ways and tools of studying linguistic and fiction “fabric” of the literary text.