The Artistic Reception of the Bible Legend about Cain and Abel in Modern Ukrainian Literature

Keywords: Bible legend, postmodernism, reinterpretation, reception, traditional motives and images

Abstract

The article investigates the reception of the biblical tale of Cain and Abel in the story by A. Zabuzhko Kazka pro kalinovu sopilku (The tale of Cain’s Flute) and the poem by O. Irvanec, Braty (Brothers). The subject of the study were the forms and methods of interpreting traditional motifs and images.

The biblical legend, its folklore and literary interpretations were selected as the basis for the considerations (J.H. Byron, I. Franko). Following an anti-religious trend in the treatment of traditional images, the authors created a postmodern version of Cain - a murderer and victim at the same time. The material of the Cainic tale also served the writers to address the issue of the relationship between extraordinary personalities and the average ones, and the lesser value of the first in the eyes of God. The result of the study are conclusions about the nature of postmodern reinterpretation of literary tradi­tion in the works of A. Zabuzhko and O. Irvanec.

Author Biography

Natalia Filonenko, Taras Shevchenko National University of Luhansk

Doctoral candidate in Philology, adjunct in cultu­ral and film studies and TV-art at the Institute of Culture and Arts of the National University of Luhansk. Research interests: modern Ukrainian literature and multimedia interactions.

References

Ahyeyeva, V. (2003). Zhinochyj prostir. Feministychnyj dyskurs ukrayins’koho modernizmu. Kyiv.

Byron, G. (2002). Cain. Blackmask Online, p. 5. http://www.searchengine. org.uk/ebooks/18/38.pdf 8.

Franko, I. (1978). Smert’ Kajina in Zibrannya tvoriv u 50 tomax. Vol. 12, Poe¬tychni pereklady ta perespivy. Kyiv.

Irvanec, O. (1991). Tin’ velykoho klasyka’ ta inshi virshi. Kyiv: Molod.

Vardevanyan, S. I. (2008). Mifolohema Kayina v ukrayins”kij literaturi XIX– XX stolit. Doctoral candidate abstract: 10.01.01. Ivano-Frankivsk.

Zabuzhko, O. (2004). Kazka pro kalinovu sopilku. In Sestro, sestro. Kyiv: Fakt.

Published
2020-03-01
How to Cite
[1]
Filonenko, N. 2020. The Artistic Reception of the Bible Legend about Cain and Abel in Modern Ukrainian Literature. Perspectives on Culture. 28, 1 (Mar. 2020), 9-14. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2020.2801.03.
Section
The Bible in Ukrainian Literature