The rhetorical discourse of Uniate writers’ polemic literature of the end of the 16th – first half of the 17th century in the retrospection of oratory's history

The examination of the poetics inherent in the polemical prose authored by Uniate writers during the late 16th and the first half of the 17th centuries holds substantial significance for comprehending rhetoric as a pivotal element in the stylistic evolution of Ukrainian literature throughout this period. The objective of this article is to explore the interrelationship between the works of Uniate polemicists and the framework of classical rhetoric, particularly by elucidating the functioning of rhetorical figures and argumentation techniques within their texts. To accomplish this aim, a range of literary methodologies were employed. Those methods included historical-cultural, comparative-historical, biographical, structural-analytical, as well as hermeneutic approaches. An in-depth historical and theoretical analysis of the rhetorical tools originating from antiquity, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Baroque period – encompassing figures, tropes, and forms of argumentation – facilitates a deeper understanding of how these were used by Uniate writers in the polemical discourse of their era. The findings of the study reveal that the works of Uniate writers are constructed according to paradigms established in ancient Greece and are replete with diverse linguistic strategies aimed at persuading their audience. The scientific novelty of this work lies in its expansion of the comprehension in terms of how the rhetoric of antiquity, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Baroque influenced on Ukrainian polemical literature. The implications for future research are linked to the rhetorical analysis of polemical texts. Moreover, it is expedient to explore the role of rhetoric in socio-political dynamics and the formation of religious consciousness during the epoch of the Union of Brest.