ХАРЧОВИЙ КОД ДАВНЬОЇ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ЛІТЕРАТУРНОЇ ПАРОДІЇ

Abstract

This article considers food images as a means of comic literary play and explains its functioning principles in the parodies of the XVIII century. Study performs the motive analysis comparing old Ukrainian literature material, resembling folkloric pieces and West-European medieval parody texts, which are much similar to samples of baroque vernacular writing. The analysis implies scholarly concepts connected with literary and cultural understanding of the role and meaning of the parody and literary mockery. The article also provides an explanation of the food images semantic variety in the parodies and its relation to ritual feasting patterns. The comic potential of food elements is explored through functional analysis of incongruous situations, as well as methods of contrast, exaggeration and lucid displacement. The food code of the parody rests upon the comic replacement of the exclusive sacral or epic meaning with daily and casual acts of eating, feeding or cooking. Such incompatibility is embodied in a wide range of images, for instance «Christmas as a sausage festival», «feast of saints», «The boozers’ Mass», «praise to the tavern», «dumplings-martyrs», «edible weapons» and so on. In spite of their comic properties these topsy-turvy images reveal profound link between acts of eating and sacral ceremonies, between food and understanding of divine. Such humorous plays also very wittily and accurately show a culinary transformation as the sacred history of suffering. To conclude, the detailed semantic and functional analysis of food image has brought to light the fundamental properties of a parody literature, which aims not at criticizing or mocking by imitation, but at confirmation and helping to comprehend. It is also assumed that similar humorous food motives in Ukrainian baroque and West-European medieval literary traditions could prove the presence of a general food code of the parody.