SILHOUETTES OF ETHNIC IMAGES IN WESTERN UKRAINIAN WAR PROSE OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

The paper examines how the concept of Own-Other-Alien is represented in Western Ukrainian prose depicting the events of the First World War, with a particular focus on the works by Marko Cheremshyna, Vasyl Stefanyk and Tymotei Borduliak. The selection of authors and texts is determined by the objective of conducting a thorough analysis of how civilians, rather than military personnel, perceive the horrors of war. An encounter with the Other or the Alien is always a challenge to one’s identity determined by different worldviews and cultural traditions. Western Ukrainian authors do not exaggerate antagonisms and conflicts but note that the opposition among the components of the mentioned triad deepens. The Alien is portrayed as a source of constant danger. Alienation is primarily intercultural differences causing misunderstandings and challenges that cannot be eliminated or at least mitigated. The paper highlights processes of apprehending the Other, differentiating One’s Own and the Other, and recognizing One’s Own in the Other. The miseries of war can dramatically change people's behavior, especially when it comes to choosing between life and death. The war causes a change in the moral and ethical scale of values: as a result, the world that was native yesterday may also become the space of the Other or even the Alien, and it may be increasingly difficult to find One’s Own in it. As shown by Marko Cheremshyna, Vasyl Stefanyk and Tymotei Borduliak, the process of alienation from one’s native can be based either on the desire to survive, or on old and deep personal grievances. The writers avoid idealization of self-images, recognizing that lowering the moral scale can lead to alienation and pose a threat to the Own.