The Poetic of Space in the Fictionary Reportage «Sami Swoi і Obcy» of M. Maciorowski

Abstract

In the article a space category is analysed in the fictionary reportage «Sami swoi і obcy» of M. Maciorowski, that retells the private stories about ukrainian-polish borderland during the World War II. Scientific novelty is in substantiation of space like an individual and collective memory on the material of reportages. Studies of the researches of XX–XXI century were theoretical framework for this article (primarily «The poetic of space» by G. Bachelard and «Present. Nation. Memory» by P. Nora).

Attention was focused to the formal aspects of realization the poetic of space, particularly to paratextual elements (titles and maps). It has been found that paratext is only an auxiliary element for creating the fictionary space in these stories, whereas except of loci in reportages socio-cultural factors are also important and they fill the space and form the person’s identity (culture, language, surrounding).

At the focus of this research is analysis of characters’ stories in their relationship with the borderland space. It has been found that leaving the comfort zone is the topic, that the author often emphasizes. In some stories this process was occurring quite fast, but in other – it was the traumatic experience, that affected the subsequent people’s lives.

It was dealt with the surroundings and language in the context of the self-identity process. It was determined that characters perceived the new surroundings like alien and an unknown language like the language of the enemy. In this regard it has emerged a binary opposition in the perception of each other – own / alien.

Special attention is also paid to the train locus, that was a temporary shelter for people, but it also was the space with the specific challenges at the psychological level.