ПАНТЕЛЕЙМОН КУЛІШ ЯК ЛІТЕРАТУРНИЙ КРИТИК: ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СТИЛЮ

Abstract

The article deals with the work of Panteleimon Kulish (1819–1897) as a literary critic. Here is analyzed his article about Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovianenko, which was published in 1858 in St. Petersburg in a separate brochure. It has been found out that consideration of the writer’s creativity in the historical and world context, conclusion of generalizations, clarification of the most characteristic aesthetic features of the analyzed works, view on creativity through the author’s biography, journalism, emotionality, argumentation are characteristic for style of Kulish as a literary critic. At the beginning of the article, Kulish talks about the place and role of literature in society. He draws attention to the development and level of literature in the context of the historical development of the state. He gives examples from different literatures and concludes that the development of culture does not always go hand in hand with the development of the state. The author says that the opposite is the case: the decline of a state or kingdom is observed, and at the same time, literature, culture is developing. P. Kulish gives examples from Czech, Polish literature. These facts are important to him because he sees the same in Ukrainian literature. Kulish speaks about literature as a national spirit living in the artistic word. He emphasizes that literature is the key to being a nation. Analyzing the work of H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, P. Kulish draws attention to the language of works as the main factor of the text, because of which language appears as a representation of the national spirit, as a guarantee of prosperity of the people. He emphasizes that through literature the people manifest their mission of philanthropy. The works of H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, writes P. Kulish, have appeared during difficult years, and show national spirit, they are organic with time requirements. The author briefly describes the biography of H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko. The journalistic style is characteristic of him. P. Kulish explains where H. Kvitka got his knowledge of the Ukrainian language, why he was so respectful to religion, which later became one of the central themes in his work. In analyzing H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko’s stories, P. Kulish emphasizes moral and ethical aspects. According to one article by Panteleimon Kulish, we see that he is an interesting critic. His text contains a lot of information, generalizations, reveals typical in the history of peoples and cultures.