Historiographical and Literary Studies of Panteleymon Kulish

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of historical and literary synthesis of Panteleimon Kulish in the context of European historiographical traditions, outlines the stages of development of literary history in Ukrainian literary criticism, and highlights the key features of European literary historiography of the 19-th century. The little-known studies of P. Kulish are analyzed and systematized, as well as their influence on the formation of Ukrainian literary historiography is generalized in the context of the evolution of European historiographic views. The narrative strategies of the literary critic are considered, which, based on the principles of positivism, determinism and culturological analysis of literary phenomena, mainly reflect the tendencies of the cultural-historical school. The evolution of the historiography of Ukrainian literature has been studied, as the concept "Note about Ukrainian Literature" (1848) by I. Vahylevych, "Three Introductory Lectures about Ukrainian Literature" (1849) by I. Holovatskyy and "Review of Works Written in Ukrainian" (1843) by M. Kostomarov had a decisive influence on the historiographical achievements of P. Kulish. The article also analyzes the key features of the historical and literary synthesis, selection of material, the main determinants of periodization and grouping of literary texts, levels of structural interpretation of writing in "History of Spanish Literature" (1849) by American historian J. Tiknor, which in 1851 was translated by P. Kulish in "Domestic Notes". It is proved that the literary historiography of the Ukrainian literary critic in general is a synthesis of numerous historiographical modes, methodological historical and literary principles, the result of the consensus of different aesthetic and philosophical trends of the XIX century.