UDC 821 163.4.09

Slobodyan Andriy

Kamianets-PodilskyNational University

Named after Ivan Ohienko

                                                        Scientific supervisor: a candidate of philological sciences, professor POLINA SHULIK

Milorad Pavich’s Creative Work In The Context Of Postmodernist Literature

At present the theoretical studies of postmodernist literature have not been fully investigated and systematized. One of the reasons is the absence of a clear-cut definition of the concept postmodernism in the theory of literature. Postmodernism is not a mere literary trend, but a rather complicated and ambiguous cultural phenomenon, which claims to play the role of generalized theoretical superstructure in modern art, philosophy, politics, economy, fashion [4, с. 2].

The necessity of analyzing the works of postmodernism, to establish general criteria of analysis of this new and not thoroughly investigated in the theory of literature but an extremely interesting cultural phenomenon becomes an urgent problem.  In the Ukrainian theory of literature (a dozen of articles, a few dissertations, and a very limited number of western scholars’ translations) much less attention than in the western studies (thousands of fundamental researches) is paid to the problem of postmodernism. Despite this fact, the Ukrainian scholars do not keep away from the problems of studying postmodernist literature at school. The articles by D.Zatonsky [5; 6], B.Bigun [1; 2], Yu.Kovbasenko [7; 8], O.Nikolenko [9], V.Nazarets and E.Vasilyeva [4], O. Buryak [3] etc. provide valuable material for understanding postmodernist literature.

It is important to recognize two facets of postmodernism: as a cultural phenomenon aimed at a new perception and appreciation of the past and the present, on the one hand, and as an art of a certain type, on the other hand. Hence, dealing with postmodernism one should take into account both concepts: the concept of ”postmodern consciousness” and the concept of "postmodernist creativity” [4, p. 2]. The concept of "postmodernist creativity”, which enhances aesthetic pluralism on all levels, complete perception without evaluation, metareading in the cultural studies context and the reader-writer cooperation, mythological thinking (according to B. Gasparov) and the combination of historical and timeless categories, is of primary priority in the theory of literature [4, с. 2]. This approach allows distinguishing the leading features of postmodern literature, among which are: irony, "quotations thinking”, intertextuality, pastiche, collage, principle of the game.

For the purpose of scientific analysis a new methodology, taking into account the nature of postmodernism, should be developed. Undoubtedly each separate piece of work requires developing an individual strategy appropriate to the literary style of its author. Yu.Kovbasenro emphasizes the following strategy of analyzing Pavich’s works: to rely on means which the author has selected with an aim to interest the reader [7].

         M.Pavich belongs to those postmodernists which are called "people of many crafts”, whose creativity is revealed not only in the field of fiction.

The creative work of a Serbian writer is a brilliant example of postmodernism ― the phenomenon of literature and art at the turn of the 20^th and 21^st centuries Its characteristic features include: inheriting all the best from the previous epochs, hyper receptivity, intertextuality, ironism, "quotations thinking”, the fight for the reader, pastiche, collage, the principle of the game, borrowing genres, themes, plots, artistic devices etc. His novel "Dictionary of the Khazars” is a textbook example of postmodernist hypertext. The mythologem of a living text as opposed to dead reality in postmodernism is implemented here. Like other authors of postmodern novels (Umberto Eco, Christoph Ransmayr etc.) M.Pavich develops the theme of light as a text as well as the text (the book), which disappears. A Lexicon Novel by V.Pavich is an example of a non-linear text. In the words of the writer it has neither beginning nor end in the classical sense of the word.

Milorad Pavich is not only a writer and a historian of the Serbian literature of the 18th and the 19 centuries.  He is also a specialist in baroque and symbolism, a translator of Byron and Pushkin, a university professor, a member of European Art Community. Taken altogether they determine fundamental features of the writer’s poetics: his interest in neobaroque metaphors, excessive use of synonyms, core motifs, leitmotifs (eventually leitmotifs of construction and game), and a distinctive portrait.

The above-mentioned features of Pavich’s artistic style allow you to select the optimal strategy of understanding the phenomenon of a Serbian writer.

The critical reception of Pavich’s works is most often associated with the analysis of the genre form. The latter, presenting the author’s ways of artistic assimilation of reality, new models of virtual reality, functions as a peculiar key to reading his literary works.

Authentic author’s definitions of genre varieties: "A Lexicon Novel of 100 000 words”, "Dictionary of the Khazars”, clepsydra novel "Inner Side of the World”, crossword puzzle novel "Landscape Painted With Tea”, a novel ― reference guide in reading Tarot cards "Last Love in Constantinople”, a novel ― astrological dictionary "Starry Mantle”  guides researches in the study of specific forms, especially genre and compositional features.

At the same time small genres in M. Pavich’s artistic legacy, namely his stories for the computer and dividers can serve as a striking example of creative searches and stylistic features of the prose of this extraordinary writer –"a future Nobel laureate ", "the computer writer”, "the genius of the 21^st century”.

The author’s definition of the genre of the stories for the computer and dividers is a pretentious statement about fundamentally new innovative writing strategies, which acquire the form of a nonlinear system ― the hypertext. And you need a computer to read it. You cannot but feel the author willing to intrigue the reader.

The originality of the story  is generated primarily by singularity of a genre form and structure. Small chapters and so-called "crossroads” contain the author’s guidelines about the options of successive reading. The form is the natural consequence of redefining the function of a binary opposition "the author ― the reader” in postmodernist dimension. The shift of dominant, consolidation of the reader’s leadership in creating artistic conception, reduced the writer’s functions to choosing "construction material”, while the reader "constructs a building”.

Thus, speaking about the originality of M. Pavich’s creative works the emphasis should be laid on the author’s choice of ways to inspire the reader’s interest (and therefore features of Pavich’s artistic style. These ways display the basic method of postmodern literature ― activation of the recipient, the reader. These means make the Serbian writer an iconic figure of our days.

REFERENCES

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