ANCIENT GREEK EPIC AND LYRICS THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE COMIC CATEGORY: METHODOLOGICAL AND METHODICAL PRACTICES

Abstract

The article reveals the methodological practices used during the study of Ancient Greek epics and lyrics within the course of the History of Foreign Literature (Ancient period) in the context of the comic category.

The purpose of the work: to analyze the aspects of the comic in Homer’s work; to study the ancient Greek lyrics in connection with the comic practices of contemporary culture; to reveal the contributions of ancient poets to the development of the world's comic discourse; to demonstrate specific interactive forms of creative studying of Homer’s comic at the History of Foreign Literature practical classes.

Methodology. Based on the hermeneutic methodology, the work attempts to restore the specific human perception of the comic in the context of specific periods of ancient culture. Hermeneutical integration into the culture of the poet is complemented by a biographical approach, when we consider the infusion of the poet’s biography into the semantics of his creativity. Furthermore, the phenomenon of the comic and its various forms, the postmodern principle of mutual complementation of various theories of laughter is being recognized in the process of studying. The methods of analysis and synthesis are also used.

Scientific novelty. Hermeneutic and postmodern historical-literary discourses are primarily designed to reveal the specifics and richness of comic practices of ancient Greek epics and lyric poetry. In addition, for the first time, specific interactive forms of mastering the comic component of Homer's «Iliad» have been proposed.

Findings. As a result of the investigations, we came to the conclusion that ancient poets not only created specific comic images and plots, following the intuitive understanding of the comic, but also developed certain theoretical ideas about laughing practices. These innovations only partially coincide with much later findings in the relevant field by ancient philosophers, who are considered the leading theorists of laughter discourse.

Using the example of the development of ancient literature, it is possible to demonstrate the modern understanding of the phenomenon of laughter not as something that can be reduced to one essence, but as a collection of different, heterogeneous «laughters»