HISTORICAL PROTOTYPES IN THE WORKS OF UKRAINIAN AND POLISH WRITERS OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article analyzes the Polish-Ukrainian literary and cultural relations of the nineteenth century, in particular, the interaction of Polish and Ukrainian literatures through the prism of the image and concept of Ukraine as an important cultural crossroads. In particular, the author examines G. Grabowicz’s thesis, based on the ideas of Ivan Franko and other researchers, about the role of Ukraine as a central “transition zone” between Polish and Ukrainian cultures. It highlights the achievements of contemporary Ukrainian comparative scholars who have overcome outdated stereotypes about Ukrainian identity, narrowed to the Cossack theme, and focus on new literary images and themes. The changes in the thematic and genre construction of the literature of both countries are analyzed, in particular, the transition from romanticism to positivism, which is reflected in the works of such authors as H. Sienkewicz and M. Starytskyi. Particular attention is paid to J. I. Kraszewski as a key figure in Polish-Ukrainian literary relations. His creative career, from the early influences of Byronism and Mickiewicz’s aesthetics to his later socio-political and historical works, is considered. In particular, the author analyzes how ideological and cultural changes in society influenced his work, including the periods of conservatism and democracy. The article discusses the biographical circumstances that influenced his work and emphasizes the importance of further research on his literary heritage for understanding the cultural and literary ties between Poland and Ukraine. The considered contacts between representatives of the artistic word of different nationalities, in this case, representatives of Ukrainian and Polish literature of the nineteenth century, who worked in the field of historical prose, created, in fact, a unique phenomenon of mutual influences, not only of an artistic, but above all of a socio-political nature.

The main sources of the study are novels, short stories and novellas that highlight historical prototypes in the works of Ukrainian and Polish writers of the second half of the nineteenth century. Thus, the article is a relevant study that allows us to better understand the role of literature in shaping social consciousness in the history of Ukraine and Poland.