Mythopoetics of Halyna Pahutiak’s short prose

Abstract

The study examines the specific features of the interpretation of mythological motifs and figures in H. Pahutiak’s short prose. It looks at the resemantization of both Biblical texts and the plots of the world mythology in the writer’s stories and novellas. The research made it possible to find out that in H. Pahutik’s works the attributes of neo-mythologism can be traced in reactualization of archaic senses of mythological motifs and figures aimed at interpreting the phenomena important for the author in the context of eternity. In her short prose the modern content reflects the construction of the literary world by the key principles of mythological thinking, based on binary oppositions. The recurring motifs and figures made it possible to go beyond the limits of the actual chronotope and return to mythical precedents. The nameless heroes of the writer’s neo-myths can be considered as the accentuation of the relation to pre-personal archetypes. These findings can be useful for further research on similar topics, in particular, on the interpretation of mythological texts in contemporary fiction.