Borys Grinchenko about regulation methods of creative inspiration

Abstract

The article is a first attempt to tackle Borys Grinchenko’s theoretical paper “The Management of Inspiration” (1893) in the Ukrainian literary studies. The manuscript of Grinchenko’s paper is kept at the Institute of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadsky. The subject of the research is the writer’s views on the psychology of creativity. The article aims to consider the theoretical views of the Ukrainian philosopher on the problem of inspiration as a special creative venue of the artists, writers or composers, the management of which can affect their productivity. The results of the study enable to detect the influence of both idealistic and positivist-oriented aesthetics in Grinchenko’s theoretical approach to the cultivated creativity. The Ukrainian philosopher is resolute in denying the idea of inspiration as a rapidly passing special state which cannot be managed for example by the writer. Nor does he accept the possibility of productive creativity only in the moments of emotional outburst or transcendence. Grinchenko develops coherently the idea that the ingenious writers systematically experienced inspiration relying on the skill, worked out over the years, to create at a fixed time. In his opinion, the timing for different types of activity allowed those writers to evoke special spirituality at certain hours, when aesthetic performance is the most productive. In his paper, B. Grinchenko insists on the need for each creator to handle the inspiration by means of the skillful management of creative process. The ideas of the Ukrainian philosopher on the possibility of managing writer’s insight keep with the Hegelian thesis of creative inspiration as a natural result of the artist’s hard work. B. Grinchenko regards inspiration as an animating force that can be set in motion by daily routine. Every writer’s moment of the highest revelation proceeds differently; its every stage can be differently time-bound. Yet Borys Grinchenko hopes that in the future the development of literary processes will lead most writers to a disciplined and manageable way of creativity. The ideas of Grinchenko’s paper on the bonding of inspiration and the titanic work of the writer are up-to-date.