The First Third of the 20th Century as a Literary Era: Common Cultural and National Features in Russian and Ukrainian Literatures

Abstract

The article outlines the cultural and national features of the development of Ukrainian and Russian literatures in the first third of the 20th century. The study clearly demonstrates that the development of Ukrainian and Russian literatures have followed typologically similar patterns. Common and distinguishing features in the literatures were the result of the specific historical conditions of their origin and existence, as well as cultural orientation. The national differences between Ukrainian and Russian literatures of the first third of the 20th century were due primarily to the search for the ways to assert the identity. Ukrainian literature was expressly focused on Western European, trying to perceive it without mediation of the Russian one. Western European artistic innovations coexisted with the local cultural specificity. Russian literature was less concerned with issues of national identity because it had a counter-effect on Western European literature. The interaction with the national cultural tradition was also different. Common features of the literary process of the first third of the 20th century include the development of literatures in the metropolitan environment and in the context of emigration. The literature developed in the context of emigration was created in a foreign-language environment, but positioned itself as a national literature, the existence of which was a priori impossible in the metropolitan environment. The leading feature of the literature of the metropolis followed the October revolution was the ideological and political oppression caused by the new relations between the authorities and the artistic culture. Identification of general characteristics and features of the evolution of Russian and Ukrainian literatures in the first third of the 20th century in terms of typological comparisons makes it possible to suggest that the literary and artistic realities of the era caused the affinity of issues in the formation of new ideological and artistic quality of both literatures and, consequently, their national forms, features.