The Culture of Wine in Ukrainian Baroque Poetry

Abstract

The article represents the results of the culturological analysis of Ukrainian baroque poetry with ‘wine’ for the prominent image. Just as the conceit of wine was never researched profoundly by culturologists and linguists, this article is an attempt to conceptualize the imagery of wine and culture of its consumption in Ukrainian literary criticism and cultural studies. Upon researching Ukrainian baroque poetry, the author of this article revealed some new connotations of the image of wine. First of them is a symbol of reproach declared to the authorities of either sacral or secular power (the conceptual pattern of it are the writings by Ukrainian polemist Ivan Vyshensky). However, even the strongest judgements sounded hopefully thanks to stylization in the mood of Christian liturgy. Secondly, wine was a reflection of joy of life, love, or friendship in Epicurean style. Thirdly, it was set up as a philosophical image of the human self as the most precious thing in the world. This idea was also supported staunchly by H. Skovoroda. Henceforth, wine in baroque poetry is not only an image of something material within the framework of the everyday life and rituals; it is a factor of reconciliation of Christian and Pantheistic worldview in the Ukrainians. Further researches of ‘wine’ conceit in Ukrainian poetry (and Ukrainian culture as a whole) would allow confirming anew the vision of a human-within-the-world as the world-within-a-human.