Ivan Vyshensky’s Polemical Tractate “Porada” as a Synthetic Text

Abstract

Polemical prose is a crucial and interesting part of Ukrainian literature of the 16th–17th centuries. It represents not only social realities of that time (the Union of Brest), but also the philosophical and ethical views of Ukrainian polemicists. These texts have significant multilayer symbolism, images, and Biblical intertext. The article highlights the short history of the study of the heritage of Ukrainian polemicist Ivan Vyshensky in general and the “Porada” in particular from the end of the 19th century (I. Franko, M. Hrushevskyi) to the end of the 20th century (P. Yaremenko, S. Pinchuk). Works of the polemicist are studied in historical, cultural, and philosophical terms. The author’s attention is concentrated on structural and semiotic readings of the third chapter of the polemicist’s magnum opus (“Knyzhka”). A structure is presented as an artificial scheme to organize all textual material into one discourse (according to Umberto Ecco). It is shown that some specifics of the composition’s structure influence the entire meaning of the “Porada”. Its construction, formed by such key elements as “frames” and a semantically meaningful center, is correlated with ancient religious beliefs (Mircea Eliade) as well as the Christian antithesis of “spirit and body”. Singled out are main codes, symbols, and images of the antithesis of the tractate. The code is a semiotic system and the text is a code-generator. The main codes of the “Porada” are its language code (liturgy), the code of mainting Christian customs (in the church as well as at home) and the code of faith. Loci (church, house) and monk’s clothes (hat, hair, belt, shoes) are symbols that represent the objectivity of image and depths of meaning (S. Averintsev). Images of antitheses reveal leading dichotomies: sacral – profane, monastic – secular, spiritual – sinful.