STUDYING «CHIMERICAL PROSE» IN HEI THROUGH THE PRISM OF VASYL ZEMLYIAK'S NOVEL «THE SWAN FLOCK» AND IVAN MYKOLAICHUK'S FILM «BABYLON XX»

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to raise the issue of the specifics of studying «chimerical prose» through the prism of Vasyl Zemliak’s novel «The Swan Flock» and Ivan Mykolaichuk’s feature film «Babylon XX»; to decode with students the bright and rich symbolism artistic works, marked by mythological dominants, folklore, theatricality, and the laughter culture of the Ukrainian people; to offer lecture plans for understanding «chimerical prose» and a seminar class: «Vasyl Zemliak’s novel «The Swan Flock» and Ivan Mykolaichuk’s film «Babylon XX»: comparative aspects of chimeras».

Methodology. The theoretical and methodological tools of the paper are determined by its poly-paradigmal specificity: we study “chimerical prose” through the prism of philosophical, art historical, literary, and cultural views, as well as psychological and pedagogical approaches. In the study, we use philosophical ideas about art as a form of aesthetic representation of the world; culturological concepts of the philosophy of education (V. Kremin, V. Lutai). The theoretical and literary basis of our methodological model of studying «chimerical prose» is the works of: Yurii Kovaliv, Mykola Zhulynskyi, Vitalii Donchyk, Mykola Ilnytskyi, Hryhorii Syvokon, Oleksandr Syzonenko, Mykhailo Slaboshpytskyi, Olena Tkachenko, Viacheslav Briukhovetskyi, Mark Pavlyshyn. The theoretical and cinematic foundations are the studies of Yanush Gazda, Mykhailo Bleiman, Ivan Dziuba, Sviatoslav Ivanov, Larysa Briukhovetska, Liudmila Lemesheva. The following methods were used when writing the article: theoretical analysis of scientific literature on the research problem, which made it possible to identify the most significant features of chimerical prose: the use of myths (myth does not have a chronotope), the presence of chimerical images, folklore (folkloric reminiscences), theatricality, convention, the blurring of the boundary between the real and unreal worlds, the affirmation of historicism as the continuity of the life process, the interweaving of various stylistic layers, and conducting of theoretical generalizations; observation methods; surveys at lectures and seminars of students of the philological faculty.

Scientific novelty: the problem of studying «chimerical prose» in connection with related arts at the philological, theatrical and cinematic faculties of universities has been worked out; the peculiarities of the transformation of literary chimeras into cinematic ones have been revealed.

Conclusions. Students of philological faculties are aware of the main features of «chimerical prose» at lectures and seminar classes. The proposed approximate plans for lectures and seminar classes as well as problematic discussions, will hopefully help colleagues to quickly determine their own schemes for analyzing «chimerical prose». The study of «chimerical prose» on the example of Vasyl Zemliak's novel «The Swan Flock» fascinates students with the presence of chimerical images, comedic carnality, the absence of demarcation lines between the real and unreal world, the interweaving of various stylistic layers – lyrical, grotesque, pathetic, irony, decoding the vivid symbolism of the work, marked by mythological dominants, folklore, theatricality, and the laughter culture of the Ukrainian people. The problematic conversation presented for the seminar class has unlimited possibilities for revealing students' reactions, both reader and viewer, and the level of understanding of artistic texts – literary and cinematic. This is a method of direct communication of the group with its professor or associate professor, which allows you to get conceptual thoughts about the novel and film from the interlocutors using divergent questions. The problem of the interrelations between literature and cinema in a seminar class was investigated, and a methodological model of using synthetic art when studying a work of art was proposed. It was proved that the film adaptation of a literary classic is a new work of art, because in the process of «translation» from one sign system to another, a new form and content are created. During the transformation, literary images are replaced by cinematic ones; a creative act occurs – finding an aesthetic equivalent in the field of another type of art.