Academic literature on the topic 'Ukrainian Parables'

The study outlines general principles of biblical hermeneutics influence on the poetics of Ukrainian baroque prose. The Bible perceived by ancient writers as a collection of sacred books written by the Holy Spirit through the mediation of hagiographers is full of metaphors, comparisons, allegories and parables that needed clarification. Biblical hermeneutics developed rules for the Bible exegesis in order to avoid false variants of interpreting the Scripture. The four-sense method of biblical hermeneutics borrowed from Western Catholic tradition helped to avoid controversial interpretation of the Holy Scripture. The immersion of Ukrainian baroque literature into the biblical domain caused its paraphrasing nature and created conditions for the development of the four-sense hermeneutics as the structure of the poetics of Ukrainian baroque prose. Principles of biblical hermeneutics, having become a monolithic core of the form and content of authors’ texts, eventually began to go beyond the actual theological literature into the field of secular arts.

This article is devoted to the linguistic and cultural analysis of the regional peculiarities of Ukrainian apocryphal literature in the context of modern socio-cultural paradigms. Through the concepts of cultural code and intertextuality, the hypotheses that formed the paradigmatic basis of the study are substantiated: first, the apocryphon is a form of cultural code with an immanent semantic field that contains a system of code units (symbolism, allegory, parables, miracles, and apocalyptic images); and second, the apocrypha are open signs and symbolic systems in which texts with different cultural codes coexist. The intertextual relations within this system can then be interpreted as a dialogue of cultures. In this paper, based on criteria such as historical context, confessional affiliation, language, and themes, the regional specificity of the apocrypha of Ukraine's western and eastern regions is determined. Within the framework of the cultural communication theory, the regional peculiarities of transcoding the apocrypha text into a visual work (icons, frescoes) are revealed. The specifics of the spiritual and socio-cultural life of Ukraine's western and eastern regions are explained. The study results show that each regional culture in Ukraine (whether western or eastern) is distinctive and valuable and has its own periods of progress and regression. This argument gives grounds for recognizing the multiplicity of independent but interconnected models of cultural development in Ukraine.

The article deals with the main trends of modern biblical studies of ancient literature, in particular the Ukrainian Polish-language prose of the Baroque period. Attention is focused on the universal and individual factors of sacral images and motifs interpretation derived from the Scriptures and designed on the background of fiction. Accordingly, the polycultural character of Polish-language works created on the borders of Ukrainian and Polish literatures is underlined. The author analyzes the creative work of baroque writers such as Meletii Smotryckyi, Ipatii Potii, Andrii Muzhylovskyi, Lazar Baranovych, Petro Mohyla, Ioanykii Galiatovskyi, Teofil Rutka, Pahomii Woina Oranskyi, etc. In the context of their bible interpretation a special place is dedicated to the quotation of the Holy Scriptures, as well as concord series of biblical images for which numerous references have been given, biblical paraphrases and repositions of evangelical parables, liturgical symbols, and metaphorical constructions derived from the Bible mentioned by ancient authors as works possessing individual and typological characteristics.

The article, based on the study of the updated works of S. D. Nos and archival documents, analyzes the scientific work of the scientist in the field of ethnography and folkloristics on the example of the study and use in his works of Ukrainian folk proverbs, which are systematized according to genre: proverbs and sayings, beliefs and omens, riddles, fairy tales. It is noted that proverbs and sayings, which the scientist used when preparing his scientific works, were the most used in the work of the ethnographer. It is emphasized that numerous proverbs and sayings are used in works on traditional calendar and family rites, ethnology, ethnomedicine, national cuisine, in particular in his works such as «About diseases and how to prevent them», «To the ploughman», «In every nation own nature» etc. It has been established that the largest number of proverbs, sayings, parables, superstitions and fairy tales are available in the handwritten researches of S. D. Nos, which are stored in archival institutions and library departments, as well as on the pages of the journal «Osnova» and «Chernihiv provincial gazettes». Prose and poetic paremies, which reflect the everyday life and traditions of the Ukrainian people, song creativity, ritual art, which testify to the ethnographer’s deep knowledge of Ukrainian society, its history and culture, are considered.

The article analyzes the literary and folklore sources of Franko’s "Parable on Friendship". It has been ascertained that this poetic piece from "My Emerald" collection is obviously rooted in the exemplum "On Semifriendship" from "the book of true to life maxims, parables and novellas" "Disciplina clericalis" (1106) by Medieval writer Petrus Alfonsi. The long-lasting literary journey of the key motif (a friend in need) has been traced through a story from "Gesta romаnorum" collection (early 14th c.), a tale from Don Juan Manuel’s book "Tales of Count Lucanor" (1335) and a novella from Boccaccio’s "The Decameron" (1353). It is remarked that each of the listed sources was subject of Ivan Franko’s considerable academic interest. The researcher offered numerous insights on Petrus Alfonsi’s book, the collection of an unknown author under the title “Gesta Romanorum”, tales by Juan Manuel and novella collection by Giovanni Boccaccio, remarking their essential influence on the literary and folklore tradition of the European people. The texts from the mentioned books were scrupulously analyzed by the Ukrainian scholar in the national literary contexts. Special emphasis is placed on the folklore spin-off in the popular plot development. A folk tale on putting the friendship to test has been identified in the collected records by Polish folklorist Zofia Rokossovska "Bajki (skazki) zo wsi Jurkowszczyzny (powiatu Zwiahelskiego, gubernii Wołyńskiej)" (1897 р.), which was brought out shortly before Franko started working on "My Emerald" and may have given him an additional and final inspiration to apply "own patterns" to "a foreign foundation" or in other words to come up with an original reception of a popular topic. The article also offers a comparative analysis of certain matching motifs and establishes a degree of their closeness to Franko’s parable.

The linguo-cultural approach in the poly-paradigmatic scope of modern linguistics determines the appearance of scientific studies on multilevel language units as ethnomarked resources that express national culture and mentality in the folk literary texts, folklore, parables. In this aspect, Ukrainian folk songs stand out due to the high poeticism, expressiveness, imagery and lyricism created by syntactic constructions. This article, in particular, analyzes interrogative constructions as meaningful components of folk song discourse that affect mental spheres of the language personality and mark the national-linguistic worldview of the Ukrainian speaker. Drawing upon the research material the author defined communicative-intentional content of interrogative statements, characterized the models-realization of query intentions, which, as evidenced by the created source data, verbalize, on the one hand, multidirectional interrogative components (pronouns and adverbs) that embody explanatory intentions aimed at cognitive process-search, and on the other hand, interrogative particles that actualize emotional and evaluative semantics (doubts, assumptions, surprise, reproach, laughter, resentment, etc.) in the folk song discourse. By using the relevant linguistic methodology, it became possible to present the addresser-addressee continuum of song communication (mother – son, father – daughter, husband – wife, brother – sister, etc.), which emphasizes the important role of interrogative constructions in dialogic speech, in creating naturalness and dynamics of the song, as well as in the expression of primary and secondary interrogative functions. A detailed study of various genres of songs (Christmas carols, spring songs, bathing songs, baptismal songs, lullabies, family-household songs, social-household songs, etc.) enabled us to determine the functional potential of interrogative constructions aimed at expressiveness, emotionality and evaluation. It is also focused on the major and minor key of the song, highlighting deep sensuality and poeticism of man as a representative of Ukrainian culture and linguo-mentality.

Creativity of the prose writer and essayist Stanislav Vincenza ranks one of the first places in the Ukrainian-Polish literature. The author started the work on the epopee in 1930. In 1936 the first chapter was published in Warsaw. The next part of the work was completed and published at the end of the 70s and at the beginning of the 80s in XX century. The work originally designed and deep-felt in Hutsul ideas was written in Polish. The language and the theme of the epopee continue the best traditions of the so-called “Ukrainian School” in Polish romanticism. A reader mistakes the meaning of some lexemes such as homonyms, toponyms, dialecticisms and they should be interpreted. That’s why the author explains the Hutsul words at the end of the book. The vocabulary lists above two hundred language units. Besides the main narrator the characters who are often the real historical people tell the story. The use of the following elements creates the entire idealized model of the region as well as its citizens. The topic of the article is to analyze the Ukrainian translation of Stanislav Vincenz “Na Vysokii Polonyni”(On High Polonine) as a collection of multicultural and many-sided variety of folk characters. In 1997 the Lviv publishing house “Chervona Calyna” published the Ukrainian translation of “Na Vysokii Polonyni”(On High Polonine) printed by Warsaw publishing house in 1936 (by the translators Bogdan Senezhak and Roman Gnativ). In 2011 the “Lileya-NV” publishing house printed the book “Na Vysokii Polonyni”(On High Polonine) the translation from Polish by Taras Prokhaska with the participation of the Republic of Poland Embassy and the Polish Institute in Kiev. The separate volumes deal with the stories, songs, beliefs, both original and legendary characters, parables and Hutsul region ethnological sketches. A book series has become a literature sample relating to definite region but also it encompasses the universal values common to humankind as well as to history, present and past, nature and culture. The author is looking for values undisturbed by civilization in the shepherds’ ordinary life. The book has become of interest to the Ukrainian reader so in 2018 the publishing house “Lileia-NW” reprinted the book “Na Vysokii Polonyni”(On High Polonine) the translation from Polish by Taras Prokhaska. The graphic design of the book is changed but all texts are unchanged. The translator’s comment relating to the date of the “Na Vysokii Polonyni”(On High Polonine) first edition in 1938 remains unclear. Ukrainian translations of the epopee give the Ukrainian reader the opportunity to know reality through the prism of Stanislav Vincenz.

The article is devoted to the study of the unique pedagogical and moral and ethical views of the Ukrainian philosopher and teacher Hryhoriy Skovoroda. The source of these views was the traditions of folk pedagogy, folk wisdom, folk views on education and upbringing. His pedagogical views are based on ethical problems relevant to Europe in the 18th century and on Socratic dialogues. They reflected the main features of progressive pedagogy: humanism, patriotism, high morality, nationalism, "conformity with nature". Skovoroda developed one of the leading problems of philosophical and anthropological discourse – the problem of self-actualization and self-realization of the individual, based on the concepts of Socrates, Plato, Democritus, Aristotle, Cicero, and Augustine Aurelius. He reflected his pedagogical views in parables, poems, fables and the epistolary genre. Skovoroda believed that the teacher should develop children's natural talents, be able to feel their desire for "related" work, ridiculed the blind copying of Western traditions and manners, distant and alien to the nature of Ukrainian children. These principles of humanism and "kinship" were aimed at achieving a noble goal – the upbringing and education of students, taking into account their capabilities and inclinations. Education and upbringing of a person who has work in accordance with natural gifts, inclinations and abilities permeates the pedagogical system of Hryhoriy Skovoroda. Skovoroda's poetry and prose, philosophical works have a highly ethical and moral direction and are based on the worldview of the Ukrainian people. The thinker considered the doctrine of man and his happiness to be the most important, it became the content of H. Skovoroda's philosophical and life searches. He considers happiness as a state of independence and peace of mind, which is achieved by freeing oneself from the pressure of the surrounding world and overcoming boundless passions, evil will within a person. Skovoroda emphasized the importance for a teacher to have a high moral and spiritual culture. Only a teacher with a high moral and spiritual qualities is able to ensure the correct upbringing of the young generation.

The article provides the concept of the will, its interpretation in the selected dictionaries and the sermon of A. Radivilovsky since it is an important notion in the linguistic world image of Ukrainians. The visions of the concept of A. Radivilovsky and other writers of that time are compared. The inter- est for the interpretation and understanding of this concept appeared in Ukrainian culture in the 17th century. The reason for this was the penetration of Latin-Polish literature into the territory of Ukraine. The interpretations of the will were quite different, even within one century. So-called «evolution» of the concept can be traced back to the dictionaries that record the vocabulary of the researched period («Lexicon» by Pamba Berynda., «Materials» to the dictionary by E. Timchenko and «Dictionary of the Ukrainian language of the 16th – the first half of the 17th century»). The change of the conceptual world image of Ukrainians, specifically in the ratio of such concepts as God and Man, is observed in the second half of the 17th century. A. Radivilovsky is an innovator in this regard. For him as well as for I. Gisel, freedom is defined as the path to the Salvation. An important thing is that A. Radilovsky appeals to the will not in a specific sense. The main point for him is freedom of the will which he defines as a special gift from God that is given to a man in order to live for good and increase the glory of the Lord. In the sermon he refers to the work of Blessed Augustine. The preacher believes that a person who chose a righteous path with his own will can reach the Salvation. God gives everyone freedom to choose, and therefore nobody makes a person do what he does not want to do. In order to confirm his ideas, A. Radilovsky presents the biblical parables, legends or histories of ancient gods or rulers. So, A. Radilovsky refers to the problem of freedom of the will because the society of that time required a different interpretation of some religious concepts through rationalistic worldview. Accord- ing to the preacher, the will is the path to the Highest Blessed Peace, a special gift from God. Such an interpretation differs from the ideas of philosophers of the first half of the 20th century. A. Radilovsky emphasizes that even doing it unconsciously a person still has to make a choice in favor of God. That is, having noted that everyone has a right to make their own choice, the preacher unknowingly denies this fact. The concept of the will plays an important role in the sermon since it gives us an idea of the contemporary understanding of the notion and its place in the religious texts.

In the department of Rare Books at the Library of the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushinsky two distinctive works by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert published in 1790 were found. The current level of the use of early publications as sources for historical research is largely dependent on the accounting and scientific level of describing the sights of print within the institution. This fact is specifically important for the early printed books and rare editions as the study of those allow restoration of historical memory and the eliminate white spots in the history. Almost forgotten by descendants, the work of C. F. Gellert represents a holistic philosophical, historical and pedagogical system whose specificity is determined by the personality of the writer: his spirituality, worldview, life, and experience. Gellert’s theoretical treatises represent not only a collection of his didactic ideas and concepts, but they are also the philosophical and aesthetic foundation of the literary work of the author. All works created by Gellert, whether fables and parables, moving comedies and romance, spiritual wings and songs, have a theoretical justification. At the same time, it is important for the author to translate their ideas and views into life. Also, to visualize the artistic material to show the reader the possibility of solving educational problems with a help of artistic creativity.

The article discusses the work and teachings of Gregory Savich Skovoroda (1722–94), a prominent Ukrainian writer, philosopher, teacher and educator. His doctrine of “three worlds” still causes very different interpretations in academic studies. Skovoroda was a poet who wrote spiritual poetry. He wrote poems, particularly various sorts of the songs, treatises, parables, dialogues, fables and made translations. Skovoroda became widely known as a writer even during his life time. However, interest in his philosophical works developed only many years after his death. Gregory Skovoroda is one of the most remarkable thinkers in the history of Slavic cultures and literature.