«Менади» Хуліо Кортасара: літературознавчий та методичний коментар

The article presents a comprehensive literary and methodological analysis of Julio Cortázar’s short story “The Maenads”, which is included in the current Ukrainian high school curriculum in world literature (Grade 11). The aim of the study is to interpret the artistic model of the story as a postmodern deconstruction of the Orpheus myth and to outline effective pedagogical strategies for its integration into contemporary literary education. The research applies structural, intertextual, intermedial, comparative, semiotic, and psychoanalytic methods. The analysis focuses on the poetics of the text, which is constructed through a complex network of intermedial codes (musical, visual, theatrical), intertextual references (classical mythology, the figure of Orpheus), symbolic systems (notably zoomorphic and gastronomic imagery), and the archetypal structure of myth. Special attention is given to the Maestro as a postmodern transformation of Orpheus—not as a guide to harmony, but as a victim of a mass ritual in which art is transformed from a spiritual act into an object of cultural consumption. The story is interpreted as a ritual drama: the woman in red functions as a priestess initiating collective ecstasy, while the narrator plays the role of an observer who oscillates between intellectual distance and emotional involvement. The theatrical space, the concert’s musical program (from Mendelssohn to Beethoven), and zoomorphic metaphors (“birds,” “shrimps,” “buffaloes”) form a cohesive system of imagery, symbolizing the gradual transition from culture to mythic chaos. The article also outlines comparative parallels, including Ukrainian literature: a comparison with Lesya Ukrainka’s drama “The Orphic Miracle” highlights the intercultural transformation of the archetypal myth. The methodological commentary offers interdisciplinary teaching strategies that emphasize the development of reading autonomy, cultural sensitivity, and analytical thinking. In conclusion, the study underscores that Cortázar’s “The Maenads” is a multilayered postmodern text that provides extensive opportunities for cultivating students’ reading competence and critical engagement.