Specific Way of Artistic Transformation of the Picaresque Plot in the Story by Oles Dosvitnii «Alai»

Abstract

Abstract.In the first third of the twentieth century in Ukrainian literature, at the time when the action genres were actively adopted, the works of the picaresque genre started emerging (S. Skliarenko’s story «Viter z hir» (Wind from the Mountains) (1928), D. Buzko’s«Opovidannia pro Sofochku y Dzhyma» (The Story of Sofochka and Jim) (1929), Ye. Miakota’s novel «Vurkahan» (Criminal) (1929) etc.), but for the most part, they remained outside the literary reception. In the current article, we will focus on OlesDosvitnii's novella «Alai» (1924), as one that best corresponds to the canon of the picaresque genre. The purpose of our study is to determine the peculiar ways of utilizing the elements of picaresque discourse in this novella.

Resultsofresearch. As we studied the artistic features of the picaresque plot of OlesDosvitnii's novella «Alai», we established that the picaresque novel as a separate genre is poorly represented in Ukrainian literature. It also did not gain much popularity in Ukrainian literature of the first third of the twentieth century, although the latter had adopted the action genres quite actively. The elements of the picaresque novel are present in Dosvitnii's novella in a peculiar way: the plot-making component in the protagonist’s adventures appears to be his forced journey/ escape to the Asian colonies of the Russian Empire. As the young man stays among Uzbek and Kyrgyz people, the author employs the methods of disguising the actant, such as dyeing his hair, using forged documents, numerous situations of the actant being confused with an important official. The character repeatedly finds himself in tragicomic situations, which, in one way or another, refer to the picaresque discourse. It has been noted that while the actants of the European picaresque genre intentionally model the situations where one can profit from being confused with another person, use false documents for material gain, seek to marry successfully, Oles Dosvitnii's character did it due to fear of imprisonment and mental exhaustion. Another specific feature concerns the title of the novella: while in the picaresque genre the name of the hero, his social affiliation, etc. quite often would be mentioned in the title of the picaresque work, O. Dosvitnii uses the toponym instead. Gradually, when the situations in which the hero finds himself, the behavior of the natives and authorities come together in the whole picture, Alai is easily decoded as a paradise for swindlers. It is emphasized that the peculiar way of utilizing the picaresque discourse in Oles Dosvitnii's novella lies in its dramatic undertone.

Thus, O. Dosvitnii's novella presents the picaresque discourse in the Ukrainian literature of the first third of the twentieth century. The analysis of the novella shows that while following the picaresque canon, the writer completes it with the national component. The picaresque genre had never become a substantial part of Ukrainian literature of the first third of the twentieth century.