Genre Specificity of Volodymyr Samiilenko’s Monologue “Herostratus”

Abstract

The article analyzes the genre structure of Volodymyr Samiilenko’s monologue “Herostratus” in the light of modern theories of synthetic genres. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian literary studies, the work presents a holistic analysis of the genre specificity of a dramatic monologue. On the basis of theoretical works of world and Ukrainian scholars, its key formal and semantic parameters and dynamics of development are determined. It is proved that the superimposition of the genre matrix of the dramatic monologue on the archetypal plot of Herostratus allowed Volodymyr Samiilenko to achieve in his work an original author’s position and artistic comprehension of the Herostratian syndrome. The purpose of this article is to outline the genre originality of the dramatic monologue and the author’s innovation by Volodymyr Samiilenko. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the genological studies of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, which generalize the specifics of the dramatic monologue and substantiate its genre parameters as a synthetic phenomenon. Conclusions. Volodymyr Samiilenko has made an innovative interpretation of the Herostratus archetype for Ukrainian literature, which has become especially expressive due to the successful use of the potential of the dramatic monologue genre. The character of the work is as distanced from the author as possible and is endowed with an autonomous voice. The image of the speaker is revealed in tense dynamics, his self-characterization reproduces his inner struggle in relief. The architectonics of the work reflects the key milestones in the transformation of the protagonist’s values and the wide amplitude of self-identification fluctuations. The speaker’s temperamental justification of his worldview, moral and ethical beliefs, and actions creates a temporary, yet convincing autonomous matrix of values, which is valid only in the hermetic world of the monologue. Therefore, Volodymyr Samiilenko’s
Herostratus corresponds to the genre canon of the dramatic monologue and is a valuable contribution to the genre and style achievements of Ukrainian literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.