PRECARPATHIAN BULLETIN OF THE SHEVCHENKO SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY Word
У випусках серії “Слово” публікуються наукові матеріали за напрямком: - Філологія
Ivano-Frankivsk Departament of Shevchenko Scientific Society
THE CREATIVE HERITAGE OF MODEST LEVYTSKYI: THE RESEARCH POTENTIAL OF AN AUTHORIAL CORPUS OF HIS TEXTS
The article examines the life path and creative heritage of Modest Levytskyi from a corpus-linguistic perspective and substantiates the feasibility of creating an authorial text corpus of his works as a specialized electronic resource for comprehensive linguistic analysis. The study shows that that the multifaceted activity of the writer, physician, translator, educator, linguist, and public figure determined the genre, style, themes, and lexical-semantic diversity of his texts. It is shown that Modest Levytskyi’s creative legacy includes prose fiction, journalism, memoirs, translations, linguistic and medical works, which represent valuable material for studying the author’s idiolect, the dynamics of the Ukrainian literary language of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the formation of medical terminology, and the functioning of archaic, dialectal, socio-political, and professional vocabulary. The study emphasizes that Levytskyi’s texts have considerable potential for frequency, concordance, collocational, discourse, and sociolinguistic analyses. Particular attention is given to the textual peculiarities of the writer’s heritage, especially orthographic and punctuation variability, editorial differences, and the need for a unified metadata scheme for the texts. It is determined that corpus-based analysis of Modest Levytskyi’s works opens prospects for a comprehensive reconstruction of his linguistic worldview, identification of patterns of the author’s linguistic creativity, and deeper study of the history of the Ukrainian language. Despite the existence of several studies devoted to the life, works, and linguistic-stylistic features of Modest Levytskyi’s texts, his heritage has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive corpus-linguistic analysis. A systematic authorial corpus of the writer’s works has not yet been created, which determines the scientific novelty and relevance of this research.
Copyright (c) 2026 PRECARPATHIAN BULLETIN OF THE SHEVCHENKO SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY Word
PHRASEOLOGIZED UTTERANCES IN THE ACTUALIZATION OF PRAGMATIC COMPONENTS OF MEANING IN DIALECT DISCOURSE
The article characterizes the most common types of phraseologized units functioning in the speech of residents of Tyudiv village (Kosiv district, Ivano-Frankivsk region) and reveals their role in the actualization of pragmatic components of meaning in communicative interaction. In particular, it is emphasized that these linguistic units: serve as an important means of shaping the dialectal linguistic worldview; generalize typical communicative situations, facilitating the disclosure of the intentions of communicative partners; act as significant carriers of implicit meanings, the decoding of which enables speakers to construct dialogue either as cooperative, avoiding conflicts, or as confrontational. Among various types of phraseologized units widespread in Hutsul dialect discourse that contribute to the actualization of pragmatic components of meaning, special attention is given to the linguistic unit ny s’miiu pytaty (“I dare not ask”). The article demonstrates that this phraseologized unit is an important meaning-forming component of a potential question posed by the addresser, contributing to the formation of semantic components that influence the course of communication and the actualization of each communicative partner’s program of practical behavior –namely, knowledge of how to respond to the speech actions of the interlocutor in typical situations. It is emphasized that the phraseologized unit ny s’miiu pytaty functions as a specific pragmatic signal indicating the nature of the addresser’s communicative intentions – to achieve a communicative goal. Therefore, the addresser constantly keeps in focus the model of the addressee, anticipating how the latter may perceive and interpret the question.
ON THE PROBLEM OF THE OBJECT OF SYNTAX AND THE TYPOLOGY OF SYNTAX UNITS
Aim. Modern researchers and authors of syntax textbooks define the subject and object of syntax and types of syntactic units in different ways. To designate syntactic units, different terminological names are used, and the criteria and principles of their establishment and typology are often not exhaustively substantiated. Systemic and structural connections between units require justification and clarification. Solving the problem of the object of syntax and determining the consistent principles of the typology of syntactic units will make it possible to construct a consistent and objective interpretation of syntactic phenomena and units not only in the field of scientific knowledge, but also in the curriculum for institutions of higher and, later, secondary education. Today, both in the scientific grammatical paradigm, and in particular in the educational one, the proposed material suffers from inconsistency and unresolved contradictions, which traditionally migrate in linguistic presentations of various genres. The purpose of the article is to propose, on the basis of structural and syntactic categories inherent in syntax, the scope and terminological definition of a syntactic object and fundamental syntactic units.
THE LINGUISTIC AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VASYL STEFANYK’S CORRESPONDENCE (BASED ON LETTERS TO IVAN FRANKO)
This article focuses on the development of Vasyl Stefanyk’s creative work during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period marked by the revival of Ukrainian identity, nationality, and the native language. Given the dialectal basis of his literary and epistolary works, which reflected the rich and colorful speech of the Rusyn dialect, he can be considered a successor to the representatives of the “Rusyn Trinity” and a proponent of the idea of creating a unified Ukrainian literary language based on the living vernacular.Using Vasyl Stefanyk’s correspondence as an example, the study demonstrates that the Western Ukrainian region and the Pokutsk dialect contain a significant number of historical linguistic elements that have fallen into disuse or disappeared entirely from the literary language, and have largely been preserved in the dialects of the Ukrainian language, particularly those of the southwestern dialect group. These elements pertain to various levels of the Ukrainian language’s development: phonetic, lexical, morphological, and syntactic. It is noted that they can not only reconstruct the history of the development of specific features of the Ukrainian language preserved in its dialects but also confirm the fact that the continuous and long-term development of the Ukrainian literary language occurred on its own historical basis.
FUNCTIONAL LOAD OF SUFFIXAL UNIVERBS IN MODERN MEDIA TEXTS
The article considers univerbation as a type of suffixal word formation. Functional fullness of the suffixal univerbs and reasons of their use in the mass media are showed, the structure of the parasynthetic notions and derived univerbs is determined.
THE LITERARY TEXT AS A TRANSLATOR OF THE SEMANTICS OF THE CONCEPT
The article examines the functioning of the literary text as a translator of the semantics of the concept within the cognitive-linguistic paradigm. The relationship between the conceptual and linguistic pictures of the world is analyzed, and the role of the concept as a mental unit structuring the content of a literary text is determined. The study substantiates the correlation between concept and text, where the concept is interpreted as a deep semantic structure that reflects the author’s intentions and directs the process of text perception by the recipient. Particular attention is paid to the literary concept as a specific cognitive unit of the individual author’s worldview, characterized by associativity, symbolism, emotional and expressive markedness, and semantic dynamism. The article outlines the differences between cognitive and literary concepts and identifies the structural components of a literary concept as well as the features of its verbalization in the text. Special emphasis is placed on the associative and figurative potential of the literary concept in modeling the author’s picture of the world. The concept of «laughter» is also considered as one of the dominant elements of the emotive picture of the world in contemporary literary discourse.
SYNTACTIC STATUS OF THE NOMINATIVE OF PRESENTATION AND THE THEMATIC NOMINATIVE
The article examines the functional-semantic and stylistic features of nominal one-member constructions, in particular the varieties of nominative structures — the nominative of representation and the nominative of theme in the Ukrainian and Polish languages. Relevance of the study is обусловлена the lack of a unified interpretation of the status of nominative constructions in modern linguistics, as well as the need to clarify their functional differentiation, especially in the context of Ukrainian–Polish contrastive analysis and the expansion of their use across different functional styles. Aim of the study is to identify the functional, semantic, stylistic, and intonational features of the nominative of representation and the nominative of theme, as well as to determine their common and distinctive characteristics in Ukrainian and Polish. Methodology is based on a combination of descriptive, functional, and contrastive methods. Elements of contextual analysis are also employed to determine the role of the analyzed constructions in literary, journalistic, and academic texts. Scientific novelty lies in уточненні the status of the nominative of representation and the nominative of theme as types of segmented constructions, in revealing their functional heterogeneity, and in providing a systematic comparison of Ukrainian and Polish equivalents (in particular, with sentence equivalents and informatives). Their different communicative nature is substantiated: expressive and imagery-based (nominative of representation) versus informative and organizational (nominative of theme). Practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying its results in courses on Ukrainian and Polish syntax, in teaching Ukrainian and Polish as foreign languages, as well as in the practice of analyzing literary and journalistic texts. The findings may also be useful for compiling textbooks and teaching materials and for further research in functional syntax.
COMMUNICATIVE AND SOCIO-ETHICAL DEVIATIONS IN DONALD TRUMP'S NARRATIVES
Abstract. This study is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of communicative and socio-ethical deviations in the narratives of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, which significantly influenced the formation of political discourse, public opinion, and social behavior during his political activity. The relevance of this research is determined by the rapid development of mass media, social networks, and digital platforms, which allow for the instant dissemination of information and enable public figures to mobilize audiences, shape societal stereotypes, and influence social attitudes. Special attention in the study is paid to the identification of systematic communicative deviations, such as exaggeration of facts, hyperbolization, manipulative use of emotional appeals, and aggressive or negatively labeled language aimed at opponents. At the same time, socio-ethical deviations were analyzed, including violations of norms of politeness, tolerance, transparency, objectivity, and ethical standards of public communication. The methodological framework of the research combined content analysis and discourse analysis of Trump’s speeches, interviews, tweets, and media publications, along with socio-ethical analysis to assess the ethical acceptability of his communicative practices. The study demonstrated that Trump’s narratives systematically combine strategic rhetorical techniques with socio-ethical deviations, leading to deep societal polarization, the formation of stereotypes about certain social groups, a decline in trust toward media and state institutions, and heightened emotional engagement of the audience through appeals to fear, anger, or pride. The results emphasize that Trump’s political rhetoric is a vivid example of modern communication in which strategic linguistic techniques are closely intertwined with breaches of ethical norms, creating a controversial and often manipulative influence on public consciousness. The findings highlight the need for further research into contemporary political leaders’ rhetoric in order to systematize communicative and socio-ethical deviations, study their impact on political behavior and social attitudes, and develop practical recommendations to improve media literacy and the critical perception of political messages in society. Such research can contribute to more objective approaches to evaluating political communication and promote the formation of a healthy public discourse in the context of today’s media environment.
THE POWER OF LANGUAGE AS A MOTIVATIONAL COMPONENT IN LEARNING POLISH AND ENGLISH: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ASPECT
Abstract. The article analyzes the power of the Polish and English languages as a motivational component for Ukrainian speakers when choosing to learn these two foreign languages. The survey method was employed as one of the primary methods of sociolinguistic research. The power of any language is closely linked to the functioning of language ideologies within a society. Language ideologies serve as instruments that assign a specific value to a language and are invariably dependent on socio-historical conditions. Research into the power of language is an integral part of language policy. The sociolinguistic interpretation of the term "language power" has become quite widespread in Ukrainian society due to economic factors and the globalization of cultural values. Proficiency in English and Polish, along with the rapid growth of interest in these languages, clearly illustrates the weakening of the language's symbolic function.
MENTAL IMAGE OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THE POLISH AND UKRAINIAN LANGUAGES: A COMPARATIVE ASPECT
The article presents a comparative analysis of the semantics of the lexemes чоловік/mężczyzna (man) and жінка/kobieta (woman) in the Ukrainian and Polish linguistic and cultural traditions, as well as the ways of forming their mental image. In both Ukrainian and Polish, this image has traditionally been based on gender roles in which a man was associated with strength, active engagement, and the role of the head of the family, while a woman was linked with emotionality, care, motherhood, and the role of the guardian of the home. However, the linguistic worldview is undergoing transformation: traditional perceptions of role models are being supplemented by modern concepts of partnership and equality. Cultural codes are shifting from patriarchal stereotypes toward a model grounded in equal rights and individual personal qualities. Consequently, the traditional (stereotypical) image of men and women is also changing. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present the results of research on a fragment of the linguistic worldview concerning the image of men and women in Polish and Ukrainian cultures, as well as to analyze their common and distinctive features in the light of contemporary gender studies. The subject of the research is the mental image of women and men in the Polish and Ukrainian linguistic worldview within two related languages. The authors employ methods of semantic and comparative analysis with elements of cognitive, structural, and descriptive approaches. The results allow us to conclude that the contemporary mental image of men and women has significantly changed compared to traditional perceptions in both Ukrainian and Polish cultures.
NAMES OF DOMESTIC BIRDS IN PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS OF THE UKRAINIAN AND POLISH LANGUAGES
The article describes phraseological units of the Ukrainian and Polish languages that contain a component denoting domestic birds. Phraseological units reflect the national identity of each ethnic group and constitute its cultural heritage. Ornithonymic phraseological units arouse considerable interest among contemporary linguists. The aim of the study is to analyze the semantic features of the specified phraseological units. The relevance of this study is conditioned by the fact that zoosemisms remain insufficiently described in the linguocultural aspect to this day. Therefore, the aim of the research is to analyze the semantic features of Ukrainian and Polish phraseological units containing the names of domestic birds. The study is based on contrastive, semantic, cognitive, and linguocultural methods. The scientific novelty lies in the anthropocentric comparison of birds with humans within the framework of comparative phraseology. The results of the research may be useful and interesting for more detailed studies of phraseology in multiple languages. Based on the analyzed lexicographic sources, it is shown that both Ukrainian and Polish languages contain phraseological units with the following components denoting domestic birds: chicken (kura), hen (kwoka), rooster (kogut), goose (gęś), duck (kaczka), turkey (indyk), and peacock (pawa). The semantic meaning of such fixed expressions is predominantly related to the characterization of a person. All phraseological units were classified into groups, namely: appearance, character traits, physical characteristics, and emotional state.
IN MEMORY OF PROFESSOR YULIA FEDORIEVNA KOCHERGAN
THAT WHICH PRESERVES MEMORY: A FEW WORDS OF REMEMBRANCE
LINGUOSTYLISTIC MEANS OF VERBALIZING INDIVIDUAL RESILIENCE IN YULIA PAIEVSKA’S TEXTS «NAZHYVO» («LIVE»)
The article presents a study of the linguostylistic representation of individual resilience as a cognitive and linguistic strategy for coping with psychotraumatic experiences. The relevance of this research stems from the lack of linguistic descriptions of the Ukrainian language's stylistic means that explicate the vitality and resilience of individuals who survived combat and military captivity during the Russian-Ukrainian War. The object of the study is the collection of texts by Yulia Paievska titled «Nazhyvo» («Live»), representing Ukrainian military and volunteer discourse. The subject encompasses linguostylistic means (lexical, morphological, and syntactic) and linguocognitive mechanisms (metaphorization, recategorization, and axiological marking). The aim is to identify and typologize the linguistic and stylistic means of verbalizing resilience, including their visualization and interpretation. To achieve this, a typological method (to classify explicants), content analysis (to determine specificity and frequency), visualization (for infographics), and descriptive methods were employed. The findings provide a typology of linguostylistic means of verbalizing individual resilience across language levels. At the grammatical level, there is a dominance of active verbs («we hold on»), denoting agency and the rejection of the victim role, alongside the category of futurality («we will win») as a projection into the future. At the lexico-semantic level, the study highlights the semantic field of stability, the terminologization of emotions (including professional slang), and the defense mechanism of irony (black humor, euphemisms). At the stylistic level, metaphors of resistance and firmness («metal», «concrete»), the metaphor of «war as work», and parcellation (syntactic laconism) are identified. Within Yulia Paievska's idiolect, specific markers of resilience are revealed: axiological accents («honor», «will») that perform a linguocognitive reframing function, and the «paradox of calm» – a narrative construction that balances the horrors of war with linguistic «grounding». The study concludes that the linguostylistic verbalization of resilience is a systemic tool for overcoming trauma at the cognitive level. Content analysis reveals three main vectors of resilience in the «Nazhyvo» («Live») texts: metaphorical transitivity, temporal correlation, and stylistic opposition. It is argued that «calmness» in this context is not an absence of emotion, but a higher level of emotional organization through language.
ANTI-WAR CONCEPTOLOGY IN OSYP TURIANSKYI’S REQUIEM-NOVEL “BEYOND THE LIMITS OF PAIN”
Osyp Turianskyi referred to his prose work "Beyond the Limits of Pain" as a short story. However, researchers, both past and present, have assigned it various genre definitions: a memoir-novel, a poem-novel, a lyrical novel, an expressionist narrative, an anti-war novella, etc. Nevertheless, according to many Ukrainian and Western European critics, the form "requiem-novel" is perhaps the most fitting. This is because the work narrates not only the events of World War I and the horrific ordeals of its soldiers through the subjective memories of each character but also serves as a memory and a requiem for seven prisoners of war of different nationalities attempting to survive the wartime turmoil. Thus, the aim of the article is to analyze not so much the genre form of this work by the Ukrainian author but rather the system of anti-war conceptology in Osyp Turianskyi’s requiem-novel "Beyond the Limits of Pain". Consequently, the primary task for the researcher is to isolate the polyfunctionality of each concept (war, pain, death, fear, memory, recollection, life, home, family, etc.), focusing primarily on the dominant one. In the writer’s work, this is the concept of "pain". It is no coincidence that numerous researchers refer to Osyp Turianskyi’s requiem-novel as the "Book of Pain". Accordingly, the following methodological tools are proposed: comparative-historical, hermeneutic, biographical, and philological. The scientific novelty of the article lies in its examination of the Ukrainian writer's text about World War I through the lens of conceptology, primarily through the most crucial concept of "pain" (less physical and more psychological self-expression of the heroes) that permeates the entire fabric of the artistic narrative. Therefore, the practical significance of this study is actualized by the current hardships of the Russian-Ukrainian war and numerous attempts by researchers to analyze the "vitality" embedded in the ideological and aesthetic foundations of Osyp Turianskyi’s work, as well as in the study of his artistic thinking and the clarification of his role in Ukrainian national anti-military prose in general.
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ON THE CONTEMPORARY WAR: INTERPRETING CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCES THROUGH STORIES (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE COLLECTION "APY "UKRAINE" AND OTHER TALES FROM THE WAR" BY DARA KORNII)
This article examines the children’s dimension of the works of the contemporary Ukrainian author Dara Kornii. The aim of the study is to analyse the specificity of the artistic representation of war in texts addressed to children, focusing on the collection “Apiary ‘Ukraine’ and Other Fairy Tales of War.” The research methodology combines elements of cultural-historical and intellectual-historical approaches. The analysis of the texts is further informed by contemporary theoretical frameworks, particularly trauma studies and cultural memory studies. The results demonstrate that, in Kornii’s works for children, war is represented not only as a historical event but also as an experience of the loss of security, the disruption of the familiar world, and the necessity of adaptation. In addition, the study explores the indirect modes of representing traumatic experience through fairy-tale poetics, symbolism, and allegory. The scientific novelty of the article lies in demonstrating that children’s literature performs not only an aesthetic function but also therapeutic and social functions, contributing to the formation of historical memory and moral orientation in young readers. The practical significance of the study consists in the possibility of applying its results in courses on contemporary Ukrainian children’s literature.
INSTRUMENTAL CASE COMPARISON FOR THE DESIGNATION OF NATURAL PHENOMENA IN CONTEMPORARY MILITARY DISCOURSE: A SEMANTIC-PRAGMATIC ASPECT
The article is devoted to the semantic-pragmatic analysis of denominal comparative–assimilative adverbs represented by nominations of natural phenomena, taking into account their expressive and axiological load in contemporary military discourse. The main semantic groups of comparators within this vector have been identified: nominations of fire («like fire», «like fires», «like flame», «like a spark»); atmospheric precipitation and phenomena («like rain,» «like rains», «like a downpour», «like hail», «like thunder»); wind («like wind», «like a whirlwind», «like a storm»); and extreme natural manifestations («like a flood», «like an avalanche»). It has been established that the formation of comparative relations between military realities and natural phenomena is connected with metaphorical and associative correlations based on the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of both forces. Special attention is paid to the comparison between the perceptions of these phenomena fixed in the symbolic worldview and their modern interpretation in military reality. The study emphasizes the reinterpretation of comparators whose meanings are associated with religious beliefs and rooted in Biblical motifs, which constitutes one of the markers of the Ukrainian mentality. It has been determined that the analyzed objects of comparison function as representers of the scale of destructive processes, as instruments for verbalizing the psycho-emotional state of those affected by military actions, and as means of expressing the intention of revenge and resilience.
DRAMA AS A KIND OF LITERATURE AND A FORM OF ART: CURRENT ISSUES OF ITS STUDY AT SCHOOL
The main purpose of the article is to propose for study (in secondary and higher schools) topical issues of the theory and history of drama as a kind of literature and art form. Attention is paid to the kinship and difference of drama with other types of literature – epics and lyrics; on its features of functioning and characteristic features of – action, drama, conflict, character, stage; on methods of analysis of a dramatic work. Therefore, the study has a novelty, connected primarily with the consideration of analytical judgments about drama in its theoretical and historical-literary, as well as theatrical aspects, aimed at an in-depth understanding of its nature and specificity. The methodological basis in the study of the problem is the following methods: philological, cultural-historical and hermeneutic. This also includes theoretical foundations in literary studies and theater studies. Research results: the need to know the peculiarities of drama as a kind of literature and a form of art in educational activities for educational and pedagogical workers, as well as the educational process for pupils and students, has been proven. The practical significance of the article is that its main provisions and conclusions can be used during the study of the works and work of playwrights in secondary and higher schools, in research on drama and theater.
ACTIVATION OF STUDENTS' COGNITIVE ACTIVITY IN THE SYSTEM OF LANGUAGE AND LITERARY EDUCATION THROUGH THE PRISM OF DISTANCE LEARNING
The article is devoted to the problem of education, in particular, to the activation forms during distance learning of students. Purpose of the article. The purpose of the study was to analyze the challenges that a teacher faces during distance learning in the implementation of language and literature education, and to search for forms of work aimed at activating the cognitive activity of students. Research methodology. The study used elements of the methods of source analysis, analysis and synthesis, classification and gene-ralization. Results. During the work, it was established that distance learning during crisis situations is an effective form of work, but it is associated with challenges of socialization, independence, and communication, which can be corrected using effective forms of work. Scientific novelty is seen in expan-ding the possibilities of language and literature education, which takes place in a distance learning format. Practical significance. The results obtained can be used during the preparation and conduct of language and literature classes in a distance form of work with students.
THE SPIRITUAL CODE OF UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS CAROLS: THE RECEPTION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION AND CHRISTIAN VALUES IN A POETIC PERSPECTIVE
Aim. This article examines Ukrainian Christmas carols as expressions of the spiritual code of national culture, particularly through the lens of the reception of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation and Christian values. The main focus is on analyzing the poetics of both folk and church carols, their ability to interpret theological truths through artistic imagery, as well as on identifying the features of the inculturation of Christian meanings in traditional folk art. Research methodology. The study employs a set of scientific methods, including hermeneutic, cultural-historical, and comparative-typological approaches, as well as elements of analysis and synthesis. The methodological framework is based on a combination of literary and theological approaches, which makes it possible to interpret carol texts as syncretic phenomena of spiritual and artistic culture. Research results. The study demonstrates that Ukrainian Christmas carols represent the doctrine of the Incarnation in various aspects: biblical, doxological, symbolic, and folk-poetic. It has been observed that church carols are dominated by Gospelling narrative and theological clarity, whereas folk carols exhibit a synthesis of Christian and pre-Christian elements. Key images and motifs – such as the Brth of Christ, the adoration of the shepherds and the Kings, the image of the Virgin Mary, and motifs of light, joy, and salvation – have been identified, and their transformation within the national and cultural context has been analyzed. The role of carols in shaping folk theology, collective memory, and national identity is also outlined. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive analysis of Ukrainian carols as texts that combine theological content with artistic form, as well as in highlighting the specific features of the reception of the dogma of the Incarnation through the prism of inculturation. It is proposed to consider carols not only as a folkloric phenomenon but also as an important element of religious culture that reflects the evolution of the Ukrainian worldview. Practical significance. The practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of applying its results in academic research in literature, folklore, and theology, as well as in the educational process – particularly in teaching courses on Ukrainian literature, cultural studies, religious studies, and cultural history, especially in the context of understanding the spiritual heritage of the Ukrainian people.
NATIONAL IDEA IN THE DISCOURSE OF THE UKRAINIAN SIXTY-EIGHTIES AS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE OF FREEDOM: FROM ACTION TO A NEW IDENTITY
The problem of national identity in the discourse of the Ukrainian sixties, in particular in the work and epistolary works of O. Zalyvakha, is examined. The thesis is developed according to which the representatives of this literary and artistic generation, having a calling for self-development, managed to make a choice in favor of personal and creative freedom under the conditions of a totalitarian regime, as a result of which they left a noticeable mark in the literature and art of the 20th century.Not only are the prerequisites for the development of the sixties resistance movement and its specificity of being between the imperative of a creative calling and a moral duty considered, but also the arguments regarding the national self-awareness of the passionate representatives of this generation as a kind of vertical: the conscious choice of freedom as a complex path from choosing a responsible act to acquiring a new identity.
FRIENDS OR ANTAGONISTS: PAGES FROM THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IVAN FRANKO AND MYKHAILO HRUSHEVSKY
Purpose. The article discusses the relationship between Ivan Franko and Mykhailo Hrushevsky when the publication of the Literary and Scientific Herald was moved from Lviv to Kyiv and the writer was left without his main source of income. Clarifying the details of this matter requires special attention, as some eyewitnesses considered the relevant decision of the Shevchenko Scientific Society to be almost the main cause of Franko's mental and emotional crisis. Research methods and methodology. The research strategy is determined by the specifics of the research topic and is subordinated to the implementation of its goals and specific tasks, which required a comprehensive approach. As a result, elements of biographical and philological methods were used, as well as the heuristic potential of comparative studies and the achievements of psychological schools. Results. In the course of scientific research, it was found that the assumption of Hrushevsky's involvement is not without foundation, since he was often noted for his authoritarian and violent methods of management, was an arrogant and conceited person, and the magazines he edited directly became the printing organs of the editor-in-chief. Because of this, psychological trauma was inevitable in the process of collaboration. However, to attribute the aetiology of Frank's illness solely to the nature of his relationship with his patron seems exaggeratedly subjective — even if we take into account only the ‘Hrushevsky complex,’ because the conflicts at the newspaper were compounded by the vicissitudes associated with the publication of ‘An Outline of the History of Ukrainian-Russian Literature until 1890.’ At the same time, certain aspects of his relationship with Kyiv intellectuals became tense, leading to new nervous and psychological exacerbations. Therefore, the escalation of relations with Mykhailo Hrushevsky could only exacerbate the nosological symptoms, but was not the decisive determining factor in the illness. Ivan Franko himself acknowledged that his illness was complex in nature, i.e., it was highly complex and difficult to understand, which means that it was caused by a whole system of factors, among which the main role was obviously played by factors of endogenous origin, while ‘external’ phenomena and processes, including his relationship with Hrushevsky, shaped certain conditions for their development and influenced the dynamics of the disease in one way or another.
MYKHAYLO DRAY-KHMAR'S CHILDHOOD AND TEENAGE YEARS: RECONSTRUCTION BASED ON DOCUMENTS, MEMORIES, AND POETRY
The aim. Using archival documents, memories of relatives, epistolary writings and poetry of Mykhailo Dray-Khmara, to reconstruct the period of his childhood, his studies at the Pavlo Galagan College. This is primarily about the need to present the family and social space in which the formation of the personality of the poet, translator, and scientist began. The research methods. In order to clarify the declared problem, the following methods were used: cultural-historical and biographical. The results. The article analyzes the childhood and adolescence of the neoclassical poet, literary critic Mykhailo Dray-Khmara, and clarifies the contexts of his poems about his own family, childhood memories of his mother's death, and studies at the Cherkasy’s Gymnasium. Based on archival data, information is provided about the family of the writer's father and mother, his family space in his native village. It is emphasized that this family environment became an important factor in the formation of both the poet's national self-consciousness and influenced the formation of his artistic worldview. It is demonstrated that the first literary exploration of Mikhail Drai about laughter in Gogol – a small study that could eventually be expanded into a serious literary study – demonstrates his interest in artistic literature. Based on the memoirs of the poet's daughter Oksana Asher, microdetails of both early childhood and his teenage years are clarified. Microdetails of memories of childhood reveal the formation of a sacred worldview in the worldview of young Drai, which, with barely perceptible hints, will resonate in his poetic world. The general atmosphere in the Galagan College is analyzed in detail, which for Mykhailo Drai, as well as for another neoclassical poet – Pavlo Fylypovych, became an important stage of education and upbringing, making it possible for them to enter the University of St. Volodymyr. The scientific novelty: for the first time the attention is focused on the childhood and youth world of the future artist – the neoclassical poet Mykhailo Dray-Khmara, archival documents about his parents are introduced into scientific circulation, which makes it possible to see the deep contexts of the formation of his poetic world, the first manifestations of the formation of the author's scientific worldview (on the example of his essay on the work of Mykola Gogol), interest in humanitarian studies.
CONTEXTS OF ICONOTROPIZATIONS IN HRYHORII SKOVORODA
Purpose. This article examines the contexts of iconotropizations that underlie the modelling of meanings in the texts of Hryhorii Skovoroda. The structural-semiotic functionality of iconic-conventional syncretism and figurative visualizations as essential mechanisms of meaning-making is ascertained. Emphasis is placed on the role of iconotropic models as cognitive instruments that effectuate the process of “visual metabolism” and facilitate the transformation of images into concepts. The influence of European emblematics of the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, biblical hermeneutics, and ancient philosophy on the formation of Hryhorii Skovoroda’s iconotropic system is considered. Research Methodology. The study employs an integrated methodological framework combining hermeneutic, structural-semiotic, and cognitive approaches. The principles of interpretive hermeneutics have been applied, enabling the identification of the semantic centres of the text and the mechanisms of their actualization. The structural-semiotic method has been used to investigate iconotropic models as sign systems that mediate the interaction between the visual and the verbal. The cognitive approach has facilitated an understanding of the processes by which “visual thinking” is transformed in the formation of meanings. Results. The analysis conducted has established that iconotropization in the texts of Hryhorii Skovoroda functions as a universal mechanism of meaning-making, one that mediates the interaction between the visual and the verbal and constitutes a complex system of symbolic representations drawn from diverse contexts. Structural-semiotic forms of iconotropization have been identified, and it has been ascertained that they serve as fundamental units in the organization of artistic thought. It has been substantiated that iconotropic structures fulfil a cognitive function related to processes of abstraction, association, and nomination, ensuring the coordination of intra-imagistic experience with the verbal articulation of meanings. It has been demonstrated that iconotropization operates as a universal principle of textual organization, engendering a polyphony of interpretations and multi-layered semanticization.
IN THE DIMENSIONS OF ETERNITY: IVAN KOTLIAREVSKYI'S "ENEIDA" ("AENEID") AS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLES OF WORLD BURLESQUE LITERATURE
The aim of the article is to actualize I. Kotliarevskyi's "Eneida" in the modern literary space, to analyze the ambivalence of the assessment of the poem in the literary-critical thought of past centuries and the present, to find out the reasons for the Ukrainian artist's appeal to the poem of the ancient author, to reveal the genetic kinship of the artist's work with Ukrainian folklore (in particular, with folk laughter culture), with the "school subculture" and its protest nature, to find out the importance of the work for the receptive horizons of the modern Ukrainian. To achieve the goal set, the methodology of hermeneutics, cultural-historical and culturological methods were used. Results. A review of literary-critical and literary studies, a reading of the work from the perspective of modernity makes it possible to reveal the nuances hidden in the palimpsest nature of Kotliarevskyi's writing, which are important for our present, in particular the threat of the transformation of the "bui-tur" (bos urus) into the "ox in the yoke", which appears on the pages of the work as a clear warning. The article emphasizes the creative continuation of the old burlesque tradition by the Ukrainian author, while the experience of European literary predecessors in combination with the folk laughing tradition and the influences of the grassroots baroque gave a new quality to the work, which makes the poem by I. Kotliarevskyi one of the most prominent examples of the world burlesque tradition and at the same time – a qualitatively different work, alive and relevant in our time. In I. Kotliarevskyi's "Eneida", not only intertextual "patterns" are palimpsestically visible: a deep subtextual layer that is projected onto Ukrainian existence in three dimensions - past, present, future - and makes this work qualitatively different from all previously known reworkings of Virgil's poem. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the modern reading of I. Kotliarevskyi's work, taking into account the opinions of literary scholars of both the previous era and the authors of the latest research.
There are numerous methodologies currently employed in Ukrainian literary studies. Let us list only those most widely used today: descriptive, hermeneutic, comparative-typological, and the methodology of archetypal criticism. A literary scholar’s choice of tools is dictated primarily by the characteristics and specific nature of literary texts. For this reason, the memoirs of writers who lived and worked during the Soviet era lend themselves best to analysis using the methods, techniques and tools of postcolonial methodology. In general, postcolonial studies are ‘a collection of methodologically diverse, thematically related academic studies that emerged during the collapse of colonial systems and the realisation of the rupture between national culture (literature) and leading Western models’ [2, p. 252]. Therefore, when applying the methodology of postcolonial criticism to Dmytro Pavlychko’s memoirs, it would not be wrong to draw upon the work of Y. Malaniuk, M. Shlemkevych, D. Dontsov and V. Lypynsky, rather than relying solely on contemporary literary scholars and political scientists.
VOLODYMYR BAZYLEVSKYI: AN INCONVENIENT FIGURE
The article explores the life and work of the Ukrainian poet and essayist, laureate of the 1995 Shevchenko Prize, Volodymyr Bazylevskyi (1937–2026). It recounts the beginnings of a personal acquaintance with the writer and presents a selection of his letters addressed to Yevhen Baran.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF CHRISTOLOGICAL CODES IN KATERYNA KALYTKO’S WORK «WHEN THEY BROUGHT HIM TO THE AID STATION – IT RESEMBLED THE PIETÀ»
This article analyses Kateryna Kalytko’s poem ‘When They Brought Him to the Aid Station – It Resembled the Pietà’ through the prism of Christian imagery and its hermeneutic interpretation. The central focus is the first line of the poem, which opens up a multi-layered space for interpretation: from canonical biblical history to contemporary wartime experience. The poem emerges as a sacred space where the symbolism of blood, water and light transforms traditional Gospel motifs into an experience of sacrifice and salvation. The use of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s concepts of the ‘flash’ and the hermeneutic triad of understanding, interpretation and articulation allows us to define the poetic word as a metaphysical instrument for the creation of meaning. Comparisons with Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’ and intertextual parallels with the Gospel highlight the richness of Kalytko’s artistic imagery. In this context, poetry emerges as a modern Gospel, where the body of a wounded warrior takes on a new form of existence, and suffering opens up the possibility of spiritual resistance even in a state of abandonment by God.
IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT LINGUO-AXIOLOGICAL AND LINGUO-PRAGMATIC MARKERS OF THE CATEGORY “HEALTHY LIFESTYLE” IN GERMAN ADVERTISING DISCOURSE IN THE FIRST THIRD OF THE 20TH CENTURY
This article examines implicit and explicit linguo-axiological and linguo-pragmatic markers of the category “healthy lifestyle” in German advertising discourse of the first third of the 20th century. An analysis is conducted of explicit lexical markers (gesund, kräftigend, rein – healthy, strengthening, pure) and implicit pragmatic strategies used to establish an associative link between a specific product and health, and subsequently between a citizen’s health and their benefit to the state and the nation. It has been established that the comprehensive combination of these markers in advertising texts ensured effective persuasion and contributed to the formation of a positive image of the product. A lexical-semantic analysis of German advertising texts in print publications from the 1900s to the 1930s was conducted, and the frequency of use of explicit and implicit groups of markers in these texts, as well as their interaction in the context of achieving the pragmatic goals of advertising, was investigated.
THE ROAD TO YOURSELF: A STUDY OF PRESERVING IDENTITY AND OVERCOMING THE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE OF WAR IN ANDRII LYUBKA'S COLLECTION "WAR FROM THE BACK SIDE"
The aim of the article is to reveal the anthropological and ethical aspects of the existence of an individual in wartime through the prism of Andriy Lyubka's essays. Research methodology. The study uses a comprehensive approach based on the principles of hermeneutics and anthropological analysis. The theoretical basis is formed by works on the psychology of trauma and philosophical concepts of existentialism. Elements of trauma studies (the works of Katie Caruth, Dora Lauby, Shoshanna Felman, Dominic La Capra) are also involved, which help to analyze the mechanisms of psychological adaptation of civilian heroes to the conditions of the front. The relevance of the study lies in identifying and systematizing the ways of preserving identity, which the author describes and applies. The object of the study is the texts of the collection “War from the Back Side”, and the subject is the ethical and existential dimensions of human existence in the conditions of war reality and their artistic realization in the texts of Andriy Lyubka’s essays. Search results. The article analyzes the collection of essays by Andriy Lyubka “War from the Back Side” as an artistic study of changes in Ukrainian society as a result of a full-scale invasion. The author’s specifics of the perception and depiction of the transformation of civilian roles into military ones, the ethical aspects of the interaction between the front and the rear are clarified. The specifics of the artistic understanding of war in the collection of essays by Andriy Lyubka “War from the Back Side” are also revealed by analyzing the role of key metaphors of the work. The relevance of the article is due to the need for a scientific analysis of the “literature of testimony” and ways of preserving identity in conditions of existential threat. It is proven that the center of the author's artistic world is the protection of the "human in man" as the highest act of resistance. Attention is also focused on the deconstruction of the key metaphors of the work - "draft", "bridge" and "Macondo", which mark the existential state of the "transit country". It is proven that the concept of "life on the bridge" reflects the psychological insecurity of the individual, torn from a stable chronotope. In the context of military anthropology, the phenomenon of the "civilian army" is analyzed, where volunteering and military service appear as acts of conscious choice of an intellectual. Special emphasis is placed on the sacralization of everyday rituals (making coffee, reading books), which function as mechanisms of psychological protection and preservation of identity. Among the studies that focus on the cultural context of the experience of trauma, as well as strategies that help to tell about trauma in fiction, are the works of Irene Visser "Decolonization. Trauma. Theory: Retrospective and Perspectives. Humanity” (2015) and “Trauma in a Non-Western Context” (2018), E. Santner “History Beyond the Pleasure Principle: Reflections on the Representation of Trauma” (2009). Nowadays, the active assimilation of the trauma studies methodology by postcolonial studies continues [3, 4 p. 65, 81]. The ethical discourse of the article covers the consideration of conflict zones between the front and the rear, as well as the critical reception of the Western perception of the Ukrainian experience as an “object of pity”. It is substantiated that the author creates a “narrative of resilience”, where the highest form of resistance is the right of a person to remain himself – “impractical”, reflective and free – despite the dehumanizing impact of war. It is proven that in the author’s texts, private space, habitual social practices and appeals to world cultural archetypes become the foundation for overcoming traumatic experience and forming a “narrative of resilience”.
PLURAL CONOTONYMS REFERRING TO CULTURAL FIGURES IN MODERN MEDIA DISCOURSE: SEMANTIC AND FUNCTIONAL POTENTIAL
The article analyzes the peculiarities of the functioning of plural conotonyms referring to Ukrainian and Russian cultural figures in the texts of modern electronic media from 2010 to 2025. The study explores the mechanisms of grammatical metaphorization and stylistic deonymization that transform a proper name into a typified category and an image-symbol. A clear semantic differentiation of the onymic field is revealed: the destructive conotonymization of Russian classics as markers of imperial heritage and tools of ideological aggression («pushkins», «bulgakovs») is contrasted with the glorification of the national intellectual pantheon («Shevchenkos», «Stuses»). Particular attention is paid to the graphic codes of decolonization (changes in case / capitalization, the use of quotation marks, and hyphenated compounds) and the role of plural onyms in overcoming the perceived fragmentation of the Ukrainian resistance force. It is proved that the transformation of plural conotonyms in publicistic discourse serves as a reflection of the decolonization of linguistic consciousness and the formation of a sovereign onymic space in Ukraine.
POETRY OF YAKOV SHCHOLEV IN THE LITERARY-CRITICAL RECEPTION OF ANATOLIY POGRIBNY
The article analyzes the canvas of Yakov Shchogolev's poetic creativity and life on the basis of Anatoly Pogribny's literary-critical essay, published in 1986, the most complete in terms of coverage of the source base and little-known to a wide range of archival materials about the native of Okhtyrka. The problem of returning from oblivion and deepening various kinds of information about the figure of Yakov Shchogolev in modern literary studies remains relevant today, since even during his lifetime the poet was on the verge of interest from his contemporaries. The presented research aims to draw a portrait of Yakov Shchogolev and his creative heritage on the basis of the literary-critical reception of the poetic acquisition of the «late romantic» by an authoritative researcher. The methodological basis involves the use of biographical, descriptive methods in the work process, as well as methods of analysis and hermeneutics of the text as basic ones. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that the figure of Yakov Shchogolev is systematically and generally highlighted, under the optics of the vision of an authoritative researcher, literary critic and literary scholar Anatoly Pogribny. An element of polemic with individual judgments of the literary scholar is also included. Practical significance, obtained results and prospects for further studies. As a result, the poetics and literary portrait of Yakov Shchogolev are analyzed against the background of the postmodern era through the prism of Anatoly Pogribny's reception.
LIFE AND SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF MARIA HOLYANICH
MARIA VAYNO'S SHORT FILM “YOU ARE MY SON!” – AN ODE TO HUMANITY AND COMPASSION
The purpose of this article is as follows: since researchers of contemporary literary trends – and, in particular, the work of Maria Vaino – have most often focused on the distinct characteristics of the author’s short, medium-length, and long prose works, and the least attention has been paid to her film novellas, we analyze the work “You Are My Son!”, which is a symbiosis of the literary genre of short epic – the novella – and cinema, specifically the film screenplay. Hence the scientific novelty of the proposed analysis. Selected research methods: concrete-historical, receptive aesthetics, and hermeneutic. The practical significance of the article lies in a concrete contribution to the study of the writer’s artistic oeuvre, as she fruitfully continues the traditions of Oleksandr Dovzhenko, first and foremost, as well as Yurii Yanovskyi, who both pioneered and simultaneously created both works of fiction and screenplays in Ukrainian literature and cinema.
ARTISTIC AND FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF ANTITHESIS IN THE ARCHITECTONICS OF THE NOVELLA "KAMINNIA PID KOSOIU" BY OLHA MAK
The article investigates the functioning of antithesis in Olha Mak’s novella Kaminnia pid kosoiu (Stones Under the Scythe) as a key artistic device that ensures the depth and truthfulness of the Holodomor tragedy's representation. It is established that antithesis in the work is implemented at various levels – from syntactic to conceptual-semantic – and performs emotional, structural, symbolic, and philosophical functions. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of contrasts between children’s and adults’ perceptions of the world, village and city, hope and despair, good and evil, mercy and cruelty, life and death, which form psychological tension, organize the plot, and shape its inherent symbolic dimension. The study employs a complex of general scientific and specialized methods: analysis and synthesis to generalize theoretical propositions; structural-semantic to study antithetical constructions; contextual analysis to interpret artistic images; the comparative method to contrast different types of oppositions; and elements of the hermeneutic approach for a deeper understanding of the text's semantic levels. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive conceptualization of antithesis as a leading principle of the artistic organization in Olha Mak’s Kaminnia pid kosoiu. This goes beyond its traditional interpretation as a stylistic figure and reveals it as a universal mechanism of artistic thinking and modeling of the Holodomor historical tragedy. The novelty is also driven by the consideration of the diasporic context of the author’s work, which allows for interpreting antithesis as a tool for preserving national memory, representing traumatic experience, and forming an alternative vision of historical events to the Soviet narrative. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the research results in teaching Ukrainian literature (specifically the theme of the Holodomor), in preparing lectures and seminars, writing academic papers, as well as in further literary studies on the poetics of contrast.
GENRE SPECIFICITY AND SOCIO-CULTURAL CONNOTATIONS OF MODERN UKRAINIAN ETHNO-FANTASY (BASED ON V. KLYMCHUK’S NOVEL “RUTHENIA. THE WITCH'S RETURN”)
This article offers a literary analysis of Vitaliy Klymchuk’s novel Ruthenia: The Witch’s Return, examined as a representative example of contemporary intellectual ethno-fantasy. The relevance of the study is обусловлена the transformation of fantasy from a predominantly entertainment-oriented genre into a philosophically charged narrative that draws on authentic mytho-folkloric material to reflect present-day challenges, particularly those shaped by the Russian–Ukrainian war. Special attention is given to the novel’s linguopoetics. The study demonstrates that the use of synesthetic imagery, the anthropomorphization of natural forces, and rhythmic prose functions as a means of externalizing the characters’ inner states. The author’s model of the fictional world is grounded in an implicit correlation between the psychotypes of the characters and the mental and cultural patterns of contemporary Ukrainian society. Through the conceptual lenses of ressentiment and postcolonial trauma, the article examines mechanisms of social degradation, ranging from latent moral erosion to fully developed forms of totalitarian degeneration. The concept of “conquest without war” is articulated through strategies of consciousness manipulation and the normalization of “diffuse evil,” which penetrates society through individual moral compromises. The article further explores the novel’s ethical paradigm, focusing on the conflict between utilitarian logic and the deontological ethics consistently upheld by the protagonist. An internal ethical tension within the image of Ruthenia is identified, arising from the contradiction between an absolute humanistic ideal and enforced passivity in the face of tragedy. An analysis of the demiurgic figures Dobrovin and Akhruman reveals the problem of ethical asymmetry and the relativity of the categories of good and evil within the narrative. The conclusions emphasize the limited transformative potential of the model of resistance presented in the novel: despite the protagonists’ victory in a private confrontation, no systemic social change occurs, underscoring the cyclical nature of evil. The novel is interpreted as an unsettling warning that encourages reflection on issues of national agency and individual responsibility for the ethical foundations of the community. The study also substantiates the novel’s orientation toward an adult readership and its significance for the development of contemporary Ukrainian fantasy discourse.
IDEOLOGICAL AND ARTISTIC CONCEPTS IN THE CREATIVE WORKS OF ULIANA HLYNCHAK WITHIN THE UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN CULTURAL SPACE
The article analyzes the work of Uliana Hlynchak in the context of modern Ukrainian diaspora literature. The main attention is focused on the features of the writer’s artistic discourse, in particular, on the representation of cultural memory, national identity in a multicultural environment. The genre and poetic characteristics of the poetic and prose works are studied, the role and place of symbolic details as cultural markers of the writer's artistic world are clarified. The article emphasizes that the author's work performs an important representative function, since through the artistic word she conveys information about modern military events in Ukraine to an international audience. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the poem about the war “Ukrainian Lullaby”, which became a song and was performed at the Ukrai-nian Festival in Toronto in 2025. It is found that poetic images of women who experience losses but do not break acquire symbolic meaning and represent the idea of spiritual endurance and national dignity. It is illustrated that the work of Uliana Hlynchak is an important component of the modern Ukrainian diaspora literary process, as it introduces Canadian readers to Ukrainian culture and history, and also artistically reveals modern military events.
JOJO MOYES' NOVEL "TILL I MEET YOU" AS AN ARTISTIC UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION HERO
The article examines the problem of spiritual transformation in Jojo Moyes' novel "Me before You" in theoretical and overview aspects. Within the framework of the topic, the definition of spiritual transformation is clarified, its key aspects are described. It is shown that in literature, spiritual transformation is realized through literary heroes, with whom an internal evolution occurs, leading to a reassessment of values, a change in worldview or moral rebirth. It is found that in the artistic discourse of postmodernism, in particular in the novels of Jojo Moyes, the spiritual transformation of characters reflects the psychological depth and multidimensionality of the personality. Characters, through crisis situations, losses and the search for the meaning of life, undergo a process of internal changes, form integrity, the ability to self-knowledge and harmonious interaction with society. It is proven that personal spiritual transformation in Jojo Moyes' novel "Me before You" acts as a central artistic concept, organically combining plot events and moral and philosophical issues of the work. The changes that the main characters undergo concern not only their emotions and behavior, but also their worldview, values, inner freedom and responsibility. It has been found that the postmodernist spiritual transformation fully corresponds to the artistic and aesthetic canons of this direction and is characterized by a transition from monolithic ideologies and objective truth to pluralism, irony, and deconstruction of traditional values
THE ARCHETYPAL IMAGE OF THE FOLK AVENGER IN HNAT KHOTKEVYCH’S STORY “DOVBUSH”: THE ARTISTIC PARADIGM OF THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND THE AFFIRMATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
This article explores literary interpretations of the figure of Oleksa Dovbush in Ukrainian prose and drama, with particular attention to Hnat Khotkevych’s novella. It demonstrates that Dovbush’s image functions as a multifaceted artistic symbol, combining traits of a folk avenger, a romantic hero, and a cultural myth. Special focus is placed on the analysis of genre and stylistic features, as well as the relationship between literary portrayals and folkloric sources. The study reveals that the contrast between the historical figure and the legendary image provides depth and polysemy to artistic representation, shaping the ideological and symbolic dimension of the texts and highlighting the problem of collective memory. Methodology. The research employs a complex of general and specialized methods: analysis and synthesis to generalize literary findings; structural-semantic analysis to examine artistic features of Dovbush’s image; contextual analysis to interpret its functioning in prose and drama; comparative method to juxtapose different authorial interpretations with folklore; and elements of hermeneutics to deepen understanding of the symbolic and mythological dimensions of Dovbush in Ukrainian culture. The scientific novelty of the article lies in its comprehensive analysis of literary interpretations of Oleksa Dovbush in Ukrainian prose and drama, considered in relation to folkloric sources. It systematically traces how Hnat Khotkevych transformed the folk myth into his own artistic models, endowing Dovbush with features of a romantic hero, tragic avenger, or cultural symbol. The study also identifies the functioning of the contrast between historical figure and legendary image, which ensures the polysemantic ideological-symbolic dimension of the texts and actualizes the problem of folk memory in Ukrainian literature. The practical significance of the article is its applicability in teaching Ukrainian literature, particularly in studying the opryshky movement and its artistic interpretations. The findings may be useful for preparing lectures and seminars that illustrate the transformation of Dovbush’s historical figure into a cultural myth. The conclusions can serve as a basis for further research on poetics of contrast, symbolism, and mythologization in literature, opening perspectives for future studies of the interaction between folklore and authorial artistic models.