ANALYSIS OF PAVLO ZAHREBELNYI’S NOVEL «ROKSOLANA» IN HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXTS

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show the special features of studying Pavlo Zahrebelnyi’s novel «Roksolana», explain its deep symbols based on myths and folklore, and look at how the main heroine, who became important in the Ottoman world, is shown because of her strong character, mind, wisdom, language skills, and artistic gifts. The article examines her actions using historical and literary sources, considers her place in world history, highlights her strengths and weaknesses, and shows both her successes and her sadness. It also compares how Roksolana appears in other arts and suggests lecture and seminar plans for college students.

This study examines Zahrebelnyi’s novel «Roksolana» from several perspectives: philosophy, psychology, folklore, art history, history, literature, culture, and pedagogy. It uses cultural hermeneutics to interpret the author's meanings and adopts interdisciplinary methods like cultural analysis, comparison, description, reception theory, semiotics, and art studies.

The scientific novelty of this article lies in its exploration of specific methods for studying Pavlo Zahrebelnyi’s novel «Roksolana», particularly its interconnections with related arts in university philological faculties. Key findings include the identification of effective interdiscip­linary approaches, the revelation of symbolic and compositional features crucial to understanding the main heroine’s role, and the demonstration of diverse models of literary analysis applicable in higher education contexts.

The study identifies several key steps for analyzing Zahrebelnyi’s novel «Roksolana». First, activate students’ prior knowledge of relevant artistic systems. Then, identify the dominant artistic system and its features. Next, analyze the historical context and explore how the literary text was created. Examine central themes, decode the compositional structure, and highlight compositional ingenuity. Also, analyze the main plot conflicts and character groupings. Define the author’s conceptualization of Suleiman and Roksolana, and interpret the novel's symbolism. The study proposes two models of literary analysis: a traditional approach and an interdisciplinary model. The interdisciplinary model incorporates related arts such as painting, graphics, sculpture, music, theatre, and cinema to describe Roksolana’s image. Both models include suggested discussion questions and a problem-based dialogue.