MODERNIZATION OF THE EPIC. UNFINISHED NOVELS AND STORIES BY IHOR KOSTETSKYI: GENRE, STYLE, AND STRUCTURE

The paper analyzes several works of Ihor Kostetsky’s experimental prose, in particular his unfinished novels “The Three Look in the Mirror” and “There Are No More Dead,” as well as the stories “Saint’s Day” and “The Story of Monk Heinrich,” focusing on genre, style, literary technique, and ideas. There is a noticeable connection between the writer’s literary practices and the achievements of 1920s Ukrainian literature, especially the work of avant-garde writers, whose technical inventions Kostetsky developed while focusing on the latest trends in postwar writing. Exploring themes related to the Ukrainian national movement, early Christianity, and the Middle Ages, Kostetskyi tests the possibilities of modernist writing and his own literary talent, demonstrating the importance of not only content but also form and material of his work. In the novels “Three Looks in the Mirror” and “There Are No More Dead,” Kostetsky adopts an unconventional approach to the traditional theme of the Ukrainian nationalist underground during the Second World War. He transforms its genre and style characteristics by combining multiple genres, such as detective and fantastic, while emphasizing an expressionistic style. To achieve this, the writer employs a wide range of literary means and techniques. Based on early Christian material, the story “Saint’s Day” is placed at the intersection of epic and drama genres. Its content is shaped by spiritual, religious, moral, and ethical issues, which the author reveals through an analogy between Apostle John’s period and his own time. “The Story of Monk Heinrich” is the author’s attempt to comprehend the ‘soul of the Middle Ages’ through the genre of mystery, cinematic techniques, and the elements of ‘mask theatre.’