MODIFICATION OF ARCHETYPE MOTHER IN MODERNISTIC PROSE OF О. KOBYLIANSKA, M. KOTSIUBYNSKY AND M. YATSKIV

Abstract

The article studies the modification of the archetype Mother in Ukrainian prose within the context of the development of modernism as a literary movement at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It argues that the works of Ukrainian prose writers such as O. Kobylianska, M. Kotsiubynsky, and M. Yatskiv evolved in connection with the period's latest pan-European aesthetic and philosophical intentions. It signified a shift in the worldview and artistic orientation paradigm that influenced the further development of the entire national culture. It was identified that the Ukrainian modernist movement, on the one hand, was based on the national cultural tradition, and on the other hand, promoted a rethinking of patriarchal values. It was also determined that the imaginative world of Ukrainian modernist artists meets both of the tendencies. This article specifically analyses the reinterpretation of the archetype Mother, a fundamental concept in Ukrainian mentality. Depiction of the image of a mother in the works of O. Kobylianska, M. Kotsiubynsky, and M. Yatskiv retains certain hereditary aspects of artistic tradition. The writer desires to delve into the realm of human psychology and discover the spiritual essence of individual character. The writers interpret the archetype Mother dichotomously: as the figure of a loving, patient, and forgiving mother, and its opposite – an evil stepmother or mother-in-law. It is observed that in the artistic world of Ukrainian modernists an exaggerated hyperbolization of the symbol of maternal sentiment embodied in the image of the suffering woman (mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle, or another female figure) is dominated. This figure symbolizes the mythologeme of sacrificial self-denial for the sake of children's future happiness, often hindering the development of their personalities. Therefore, the article highlights the attempts by writers from the turn of the century to recreate the harmful influence of possessive maternal instinct on the fate of children. It is based on the tendency to destroy patriarchal stereotypes and proclaim the idea of a free individual who rebels against family norms legitimised by traditions, has freedom of choice, and shapes their own destiny. The results of the article prove that Ukrainian prose writers have reinterpreted patriarchal notions of the sacred service of the mother, offering a contemporary interpretation of the aesthetic potential of the archetype Mother.