ІСТОРИЧНА ПРОЗА МІХАЛА ЧАЙКОВСЬКОГО У КОНТЕКСТІ ЕСТЕТИЧНИХ ШУКАНЬ «УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ШКОЛИ»

Abstract

The article analyses the visions of Polish literary critics, attesting to a certain reception of the life path as well as the comprehension of Michal Tchaikovsky’s works in the context of the Polish Romanticism “Ukrainian school”. The genre-thematic and compositional features of the prose are also outlined, the author’s narrative strategy is analysed, and both ideological and aesthetic writer views and his literary contacts are shown. The significance of his creativity and activity through the implementation of the romantic idea is clarified. Tchaikovsky’s creation of a prose formula for Romantic Ukrainianism, the search for new forms of transferring Ukrainian stereotypes to Polish soil is still poorly understood. Various manifestations of reception and prose typology, M. Tchaikovsky’s artistic skill in the context of the “Ukrainian school” became the subject of the research. The author’s world-views were taken into account while studying Tchaikovsky’s prose which made it possible to systematically outline the problems, poetic and genre features of the works. The embodiment of the romantic ethnic hero features, a look on the Cossacks are expressed both in the works themselves and in the author’s prefaces, comments, notes making up an integral part of the writer’s creative achievements. M. Tchaikovsky is considered the father of a Polish historical novel. Mythologized vision of history and modern Polish-Ukrainian relations are reflected in various prose forms – diary, gavendas (“Gavendas”, “Legends”, “The Poles and Poles Strange Life”), adventure stories (“Wernygora”, “Kirdzhali”, “Stefan Charnetsky”, “Koshovata”, “Ovruchanyn”, “Hetman of Ukraine”), modern stories (“The Gilovs”, “Anna”), pamphlets (“Bulgaria”, “Nemolyaka”, “Bosnia”, “From Hetman Lach Times”). Slavic-Turkish tales of the Danube Cossacks whose manuscripts were burned in Istanbul remain still unknown. The movement of life was the M. Tchaikovsky environment namely a direct action in which one sees scope, confidence, and desire to bring to life all that he dreamed of. The author of “Wernygora” realised his longing for ancient life through literary activity, he dreamed of Ukraine, and created a world he wanted to see around him. The Cossacks, Slavophilism and colourful personalities have become he sources of M. Tchaikovsky’s works. The moment of literary creativity comes in the periods when the social roles of the politician and the soldier have been lost. The paper is another step towards understanding the place and role of M. Tchaikovsky’s works in Polish romanticism through the prism of historical prose. It is an attempt to read the works scientifically in the context of historical, social and cultural factors at the theoretical level. Research is a contribution to the set of theoretical knowledge of hermeneutics, theory of literature, social anthropology.