COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMEDIES OF ARISTOPHANES «CLOUDS» AND ANDRIY YAKOVLEV «PAPIK» IN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING HISTORY OF FOREIGN LITERATURE

Abstract

The article presents a comparative analysis of the Ancient Greek comedy «Clouds» by Aristophanes and the modern Ukrainian comedy series «Papik». In the opinion of the authors, it demonstrates the development of the European theory and practice of the comic in one of its leading directions – namely, the depiction of the objectively comic as a contradiction, which demonstrates various aspects of the interaction of opposites and, finally, finds its solution.

The purpose of the work is to carry out a comparative analysis of the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes «Clouds» and the modern Ukrainian comedy series «Papa» and, using this material, to demonstrate the continuity of the European tradition of interpreting and reifying the comic in order to use the developed materials when teaching the history of foreign literature.

Methodology. The article uses hermeneutic methodology to understand two different cultural situations of a transitional type, when uniform ontological values are being replaced by subjective and individualistically oriented guidelines. At the same time, we present a comparative analysis of the two attempts to understand the transitional state of human existence and the corresponding contradictions that arise between different generations together with the possibilities of their resolution. We also use the dialectical method of G.W.F. Hegel, who in his aesthetics put forward the concept of the objectively comic as a reflection of the stages of development of a certain contradiction, beginning with a conflict and coming to the synthesis of the opposites.

Scientific novelty. This work for the first time gives a comparative analysis of Aristophanes' comedy «Clouds» and the modern comedy series «Papik» as the laughter culture artifacts that have a special, dialectical type of plot dynamics. Both comedies arose at the crossroads of epochs and cultures. The authors focused on forms of comedic reflection on the contradiction between generations of parents and children and the possibilities of resolution of this contradiction.

Conclusions. Aristophanes' comedy «Clouds» and the Ukrainian comedy series «Papik» share many significant features, which demonstrate the continuity of European laughter culture. Both cultural artifacts were created as artistic reflections on the transitional state of culture, when, on the one hand, there was an oligarchic revaluation of values, and on the other, a turn was made from a unified ontology to subjectivism and relativism. In both comedies, the plot development proceeds dialectically – from contradiction to synthesis. The opposites are represented by people of different generations, and the subject of criticism is abstract rationality, detached from life.