IMAGOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF IREN ROZDOBUDKO'S NOVEL "INCREDIBLE. ODE TO JOY"

The article addresses issues related to the imagological parameters of the novel Incredible. Ode to Joy by a contemporary Ukrainian writer Iren Rozdobudko. The relevance of the article lies in identifying the leading characteristics of the ethnic imagery in the novel, which clarifies its ideological coordinates. The aim of the research is to determine the imagological parameters of Iren Rozdobudko’s novel Incredible. Ode to Joy. Important categories in the process of understanding the novel’s ideological content include the concepts of one’s own / the other / the foreign, which reveal the key components of the value-based worldview of representatives of different national types. Through the consciousness of the heroic figure of the national liberation struggle, Olena Teliha, the novel highlights the key problems of Ukrainian historical existence, reflects the processes of national consciousness formation, and explores the existential factors influencing an individual’s understanding of the meaning of human life within the dimensions of Ukrainian mentality. The imagery system of the work presents various national types, whose evaluation by the central character is based on their attitude toward the Ukrainian theme and the history of the national liberation pursuits of the Ukrainian people. Representatives and general models of other cultures are perceived through the lens of Olena Teliha’s conscious national identity and worldview orientations, which are grounded in an understanding of her generation’s historical mission and a willingness for self-sacrifice. Raised on European values and aware of her national roots, the protagonist demonstrates through her life spiritual aristocracy, unity of word and action, civic courage, firmness, and consistency–qualities characteristic of the best representatives of the Ukrainian national elite. Auto-images (representations of the ethnic and cultural self) and hetero-images (representations of the other) contribute to the expression of the novel’s ideological and artistic concept. The article emphasizes the writer’s deep understanding of the historical, political, ideological, and ethnic psychological factors of Ukrainian national existence, as well as the novel’s relevance in the era of contemporary tragic trials.