Pitannâ lìteraturoznavstva

Cultural and Historical Context of Struggle of Overcoming the Traumatic Past (On the Example of Modern German Generational Novel)

2024-01-02T19:00:55+02:00

This article deals with the process of “reinterpretation of the past” in the modern German literature, social and political discourse. The research demonstrates, that the German people actively work with their own past and form new national attitudes and values. The generation, who replaced the eyewitnesses and participants of the terrible crimes of the last century (the World War ІІ, the Holocaust, National Socialism), does not distance themselves from these events, but, on the contrary, accept the whole truth. The results of the research show that after the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 90s of the 20th century, a lot of novels were published, which directly and without illusions demonstrate this most terrible page in the history of Germany. In such novels, on the example of their own family stories, the authors raise important questions about the collective guilt and responsibility of the German people for crimes against human life. The authors describe the lives of three generations of one family and demonstrate how the worldview and thoughts of people are changing over time and how this affects the process of overcoming a historical traumatic experience for German nation. This was especially shown in the works “Pawel’s letter” written by M. Maron and “Heavenly bodies” by T. Dückers, “In my brother’s shadow” by U. Timm. The similar situation we observe in the Ukrainian literature during the last twenty years. A number of authors raise important historical topics, including reinterpretation of the history and the past in their family sagas. A special attention is paid to S. Andruhovych’s novel “Amadoka”. The results of the research accentuate its key features, which emphasize the relevance of such literature. In this article the culture-historical and comparative methods are used, a lot of attention is paid to the biographical analyze.

Taras Shvchenko in the Space of his Reading: The Time before 1837

2024-01-02T19:11:27+02:00

The paper examines the beginning of Taras Shevchenko’s history as a reader – the period up to 1837, which is the date of the first known work of the young genius, the ballad “Insane” (“Prychynna”). Three stages (“the ages”) are distinguished in this period: childhood (until 1828), pre-bachelorhood (1828–1831), and bachelorhood (1831–1837). The analysis involves direct self-evidence (memoirs of relatives and acquaintances, Shevchenko’s autobiographical novels and letters), scholarly and popular science studies of Shevchenko studies, samples of historical and biographical Shevchenko studies, etc. The main method used is the “reverse optics” method, aimed at cognizing the object of attention “from the outside” and “from the inside”. The article traces, in addition to social, purely private (home) prerequisites for Taras’s long-lasting interest in books, noting that the latter had not only a paper equivalent at that time: living history was learned from stories, folk songs also penetrated his mind and taught him. The features of the boy’s psychological communication with books in the elementary school of Kyrylivka, as well as during his stay in Vilno and in the first years after his arrival in St. Petersburg, are also discussed. Also outlined is the range of Shevchenko’s reading at this time, it is indicated which lectures the future poet met sporadically, by chance, and which he had long-term, one might say, lifelong, external and internal relations with. These are primarily religious books, then works of fiction by Ukrainian and foreign authors, works on history, etc. The article also discusses the people who supported Shevchenko’s unusual interest in reading and how these efforts correlated with the multicultural and spiritual contexts in which Taras was living at the time. Some attempts to ideologize the topic (such as the artificial attempts of Soviet artists to “infantilize” the image of Shevchenko in his childhood and youth, noted by H. Hrabovych) are also pointed out. It is concluded that even in this state, in the grip of merciless circumstances (early orphanhood, social slavery), Taras not only sought but also worked to broaden his horizons, as a result of which reading and knowledge contributed to his relatively broad erudition even for that time, and was a form of creative socio-cultural activity, a way of self-defense and self-realization. Obviously, this is how the unique reading consciousness of the genius was formed, not to mention that a bright, outstanding type of Ukrainian creative intellectual was cultivated.

Bertolt Brecht’s Idea of Collective Creativity

2024-01-02T19:24:09+02:00

The most recent research in the theory of authorship has been used to put forward an original idea about the collective creativity of the German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956). It is stated that according to Bertolt Brecht scholars, there still does not exist a definition for the “collective creative work process” (Nadia Dimassi). At the same time, Brecht never concealed his creative principle, highlighting in his theoretical texts how important collective creative collaboration was for his work. Moreover, this specific principle is particularly important for understanding the creative phenomenon of the talented German artist. It is established that the concept of collective artistic creation manifests modernist qualities in his creativity, namely lyrics. Brecht believed that one isolated artist’s depiction of the modern world in its extraordinary complexity was insufficient and dubious. It has been established that Brecht’s concept of collective creation developed in several directions: throughout his life, his creative work involved friends and peers whose knowledge and skills he particularly valued, including his numerous beloved women. The artist was, thus, convinced that art was a collective affair. In addition, it is known that Brecht did not consider creative texts as being complete. For him, they were temporary versions in a constant state of creation. A particular moment of development came with their staging. Brecht had a particular attitude towards existing literary material – he believed he was a craftsman as far as texts were considered, so he developed his own “poetics of plagiarism”. A comparison with “Wagner’s total work of art” revealed intermedial aspects of artistic products created by Bertolt Brecht. The artistic specificity of the “Brecht machine” has been summarized, and the principles of its operation have been identified.

Conceptual Dimensions of German Magical Realism

2024-01-02T19:34:44+02:00

The article outlines the vectors of methodological research of magical realism and identifies the differential features of this literary phenomenon in the theoretical discourse of German literary criticism. The author of the article focuses on the ambivalence of German magical realism, caused by the combination in magical realist texts of two inherently opposite ways of depicting reality – realistic and irreal. In magical realist texts, the magical appeal of reality is emphasized, when the objects of reality only hint at the existence of another world beyond it, acquiring a numinous aureole in the aesthetic focus of realism. The specificity of magical realism lies in its heterogeneity, and therefore requires the appropriate selection of methodological tools that would open the way to the world of magical realist texts, which in many cases has a multi-level structure with polysemantic content. Special attention within the context of the conceptualization of magical realism is paid to the semiotic model of “double conditioning” by A. Koschorke and the concept of “ruderal space” by B. Schaefer. In conclusion, the author emphasizes that magical realism demonstrates the synergistic effect of the emergence of a certain new artistic space with hidden deep meanings and elliptical structures that form the semantic polyphony of the text with a variable multiplicity of meanings. Through liminality and transgression, the semantic potential of the magical is activated, aimed at overcoming the boundary between the immanent and transcendent worlds.

Border as a Factor of Mexican-American Identity

2024-01-02T19:47:17+02:00

The article explores the dynamics of the formation of Mexican-American identity since the end of the war between Mexico and the United States in 1848. The establishment of a new border between the two countries resulted in the leveling of the culture and traditions of those Mexicans who remained in the territories under the control of the new government. Gradual and coercive state policies against locals who tried to preserve not only their ranches and material possessions but also their spiritual practices, caused a situation of forced historical amnesia. New waves of migration, caused by complex political and economic conditions in Mexico, had a significant impact on both those Mexicans who had long lived on ethnic lands and the migrants themselves, who were forced to assimilate and live according to the laws of the “white world”. It was only in the mid-20th century that the radicalization of the Chicano political movement sparked the beginning of a reconsideration of the identity of Americans of Mexican origin. The border, as a dividing line, not only separates two countries but also splits the inner world of the Mexicans who live in the United States, signifying their border state, belonging to two worlds, two cultures, and two ways of being.

Olha Kobylianska in the Cinematographic Discourse

2024-01-02T16:55:16+02:00

The article emphasizes the need to supplement the literary discourse with the topical issue of intermedia poetics, namely the film reception of the biography and works of Olha Kobylianska. It is noted that cinematography had an organic impact on the life and works of the Bukovynian author. This is evidenced by her autobiographies, biographical studies, as well as the works written under the impression of cinema (“By Situations”), or which imply the cinema code in the plot (“Black Apostol”), or those that demonstrate a pronounced cinematic poetics (“Ghost”, “Battle”). The poetry and prose of the author are mentioned to become an integral part of the cinematographic discourse, that is traditionally activated in relation to writers on the eve of their anniversary. The analyzed documentaries “Valse Brillante. Olha Kobylianska” (2013) and “To be one’s own goal. Olha Kobylianska” (2014) present a receptive version of her biography, created in a productive collaboration of filmmakers and literary critics. The functional potential of the biographical films, that popularize and actualize the works of this outstanding personality, contribute to the full understanding of Olha Kobylianska as a complete artistic phenomenon. Emphasis is placed on the fact that compared to biographical projects, film reception of the writer’s works is significantly more productive, which contributes to the reconstruction of a holistic perception of her literary heritage. The films “Earth” (1954), “The Wolfhound” (1967), “The Melancholic Waltz” (1990), “The Princess” (1994), “Nature. The third film” (television series “The Island of Love” 1995–1996), “Early on Sunday, I dug a potion” (2019) are the film texts of different genres that demonstrate the occasional attention to the works by Kobylianska in the cinematic environment, due to a certain historical situation, another anniversary or the desire of filmmakers to reinterpret the works of the classic.

Multi-Talented “Muzaget”: Intermedial Dominant in the Works by Mykhailo Zhuk

2024-01-02T18:52:07+02:00

The article examines the literary legacy of the multi-artist Mykhailo Zhuk (1883–1964) as a member of the “Muzahet” group (1919) and an author who, navigating the bifurcation points of his time, influenced the development of Ukrainian culture in the first half of the 20th century. The paper outlines the specifics of the modernist society’s activities in the historical context at that time. It highlights the characteristic features of the publication process of the multi-genre almanack “Muzahet”. The author pays particular attention to M. Zhuk’s contribution to maintaining the association’s activities. His Muzahet poetry, particularly in the poem “Wings” (“Kryla”), decodes metalogical components through picturesque and musical reminiscences. The dramatic poem “Autumn Night” (“Nich Osinniia”) synthesises poetic, musical, and dramatic narratives and consists of several tonally distinct “musical” parts, being an example of a quasi-symphonic structure. The author explores the intertextual interaction of the “Autumn Night” text with Goethe’s “Faust”, which serves as its hermeneutic key. The impressionistic story “Etude” (“Etiud”) is interpreted through the depiction of the act of creation, the “introduction of dreaminess”, harmony through abstract imagery, and the metaphor of blindness in the dual world of the artist. The story “Melancholy” conceptualises the intermedial problem of harmony related to voice, sound, listening, dialogue, silence, and pauses based on the family relationship crisis theme. The author points out that the auditory reception of the character aligns with his internally defocused state. The paper also analyses M. Zhuk’s review of V. Yaroshenko’s book “Lighthadows” (“Svitotin”) (1918), highlights the critic’s primary criteria, including the preservation of one’s own identity (by avoiding the influence of the “other”), the title, and the genre-compositional organisation of the book. The portraits of P. Tychyna, D. Zahul, and Yu. Mezhenko in “Muzahet” are noted to not only reproduce the faces of artists but also capture the characteristics of their character, their distinctiveness, and idio-stylistic dominants in their work. In conclusion, the author argues that Mykhailo Zhuk’s creative method draws on cross-mediality and the synergy of arts, emerging not as a technique but as an inherent trait. The harmonious unity of various artistic components in the text often provokes synesthesia – the ability of the recipient to visualise, hear, and feel the texts simultaneously.

Revival or the Troubles of Forgetting: What Markers?

2024-01-02T20:33:03+02:00

The article deals with the question of revival in the fields of literary production and other arts, based in part on the case of a French writer, Gérald Hervé (1928–1998). This question, which covers a theoretical-practical field that emerged a few decades ago, is still in its infancy. The author traces its history and its developments since its appearance in the 1980s. He then outlines its main axes from a definitional and methodological point of view, illustrating the subject with various tables. This article also aims to draw the attention of researchers and theoreticians in the human sciences to the necessary theoretical developments and to the practical application of the field.

Daniel Mendelsohn’s The Lost and Anne Berest’s La Carte Postale: Two Successes at the Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

2024-01-02T19:56:30+02:00

This study compares the success of two books written by descendants of Holocaust victims in France. With The Lost. A search for six of six million (2006) / Les Disparus (2007), Daniel Mendelsohn brought from the United States a new look at the Holocaust and a true originality in the restitution of this event. Fifteen years later, French writer Anne Berest’s La Carte postale (The Postcard) (2021) trivializes the model of third-generation family investigation that The Lost represented. The study first details the markers of success (sales, prices, reception in the media) which already indicate two very different target audiences, then – in a second part – compares these investigations which, despite some similarities, are differently narrated, Anne Berest even adopting on the essential the opposite positioning of Daniel Mendelsohn. Finally, the last part relies on readers’ opinions to verify and clarify the trivialization detailed in the second part.

Our monuments in Ukraine

2024-01-02T20:43:13+02:00

Review on the book: Loewenich, H. von und Rychlo, P. (2022). Bukowinisch-Galizische Literaturstraße. Dokumentation zu einem deutsch-ukrainischen Kulturprojekt. Czernowitz : Knyhy – XXI, 288 S.

Between Fact and Ego-Literature: Memoir and Publicistic “Odyssea” by Anna Franko-Klyuchko (Genre-Thematic Polyphony)

2024-01-02T20:16:28+02:00

Article is devoted to the memoir and artistic and journalistic work of Anna Franko-Klyuchko (1892–1988), the youngest daughter of Ivan Franko. The purpose of the studio is to reveal the creative individuality of the author as a representative of the literary dynasty of the Franks. The investigation is based on historical and documentary research using analytical, synthetic, biographical, bibliographic, cultural-historical, and geneological methods. The novelty of the research consists in understanding and introducing into scientific circulation a number of memoirs and journalistic texts of Anna Franko-Klyuchko, which were scattered in diasporic periodicals and for a long time were out of the attention of researchers. On the basis of the analysis of these texts, conclusions are made about the peculiarities of the creative style of Anna Franko-Klyuchko, which is characterized by a high degree of autobiography, emotionality and imagery, and the dominance of the genres of essays and memoirs. The texts of Anna Franko-Klyuchko can be considered documents of the author's creative and life history (characteristically ego-literature). As a whole, the memoir and journalistic texts of Anna Franko-Klyuchko make up a long story of the life of the author herself: one text grows into another, creating a travelogue lasting a lifetime with unrealized dreams and real events. The source for Anna Franko-Klyuchko’s texts was either her memories of the years she lived in Ukraine, or events from the author’s emigrant life, which as a whole represented the great drama of the generation that suffered defeat in the national liberation contests of the beginning of the 20th century. In the psychoanalytical dimension, literary creativity was for Frank's daughter an attempt to go beyond the limits of the possible: a way to return home (imaginatively in dreams, memories and fantasies), when in reality she could not return there, when the ship of her life was sailing in the opposite direction from her native home, and her soul was torn home. This form of creative existence became the secret of the author’s longevity and at the same time vividly reflected the tragedy of the generation of Franko’s children, whose lives were spent in emigration.