THREE HOSPITAL POEMS: EMPOWERED CONFESSIONAL SELVES IN ROBERT LOWELL’S „WAKING IN THE BLUE”, ANNE SEXTON’S „YOU, DOCTOR MARTIN” AND SYLVIA PLATH’S „NEVER TRY TO TRICK ME WITH A KISS”

This article examines three hospital poems by the American confessionalists Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. Writing in the mid1950s, they opted for „unacceptable” topics which were related to their personal experiences. Typically, the poetry of these poets remains as challenging for the modern reader as it was for their contemporaries. In introducing shocking events and intimate details to their work, they made an important development to portraying lived experience in fiction, which did not come without attacks for their perceived „narcissism”. In this article I argue that their bold writing about difficult subjects has created empowered poetic selves which rather than reflect any narcissism on part of the authors, predate and invite interpretations of the „other”. Their reproduction of illness (depression) is, consequently, devoid of the standard metaphors associated with the respective disease.

Canonicality/Variability in the Depiction of the Image of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Modern Children’s Hagiographic Literature

Статья посвящена исследованию современной детской агиографической литературы, которая рассматривается на соответствие её жанровому агиографическому канону. Образ святого является ключевой фигурой текста жития, поэтому особое внимание отводится анализу художественных приёмов изображения праведника. Для житийных текстов, посвящённых святому Сергию Радонежскому, каноном может выступать древнерусское житие «Житие и чудеса преподобного Сергия игумена Радонежского» Епифания Премудрого. В статье анализируется образ преподобного Сергия Радонежского в житийной драме для детей Р. В. Кошурниковой «Дивен Бог во святых Своих. Сцены из жития преподобного Сергия Радонежского». Были рассмотрены речевая характеристика, внешний портрет и внутренний облик святого в пьесе, перечислены основные житийные топосы, выделены вымышленные эпизоды, исследованы принципы психологизма в пьесе Кошурниковой. С помощью сравнительно-сопоставительного анализа древнерусского жития Епифания Премудрого и житийной драмы Р. В. Кошурниковой была выявлена степень соответствия канону в изображении преподобного Сергия в пьесе. Вариативность в описании Сергия Радонежского, допущенная по отношению к средневековому житийному канону, во многом обусловлена фактором адресата - современного ребенка. The article is devoted to a review of the actual problem of children’s reading and modern children’s hagiographic literature based on canonicity and variability, the factors for which are goal-setting, the nature of the addressee, topics, etc. In the article, we analyze the image of Sergius of Radonezh from the point of view of his canonicity and variability in a very new, for the modern reader, genre of clerical drama R. V. Koshurnikova «God is wonderful in His saints. Scenes from the Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh», using a comparative analysis of the canonical life of Epiphanius the Wise and the modern hagiographic drama of Rima Koshurnikova, we identified the variability of the image of a saint in a modern hagiographic work, which is due to the addressee factor - the child. The speech, external and internal portraits of the saint were considered, fictional episodes were highlighted, the motivation of the saint to commit this or that act was explained, which speaks of the psychologism of the protagonist.

From Chronology to Genealogy

Broughton’s interests in chronology and translation converged in one final field that, despite being the most obscure to a modern reader, had a surprising impact on one of the most famous texts of the period: the King James Bible (or Authorized Version, 1611). This field is the academic study of biblical genealogy, and it is represented in the extensive genealogical diagrams that begin the AV. These diagrams have long remained mysterious to historians. It is commonly presumed that Broughton, along with the antiquarian John Speed, was responsible for their production, but many other questions about their creation and meaning have yet to be answered. In answering such questions, this chapter offers the first account of the purpose and sources of the AV genealogies, as well as introducing previously unknown drafts that testify to their composition. Moreover, it argues that this early genealogical work with Speed represented the beginning of a broader, more persistent concern that would preoccupy Broughton for the rest of his life: how to make cutting-edge biblical scholarship accessible to a wider public.

“Jonah’s gourd” and its early Byzantine interpretations

Many modern scholars consider the Old Testament book of Jonah being written in a boldly parodic manner. The narrative engages many details that sound humorous for a modern reader. However, from the standpoint of late Antique and early Medieval patristic exegesis, it is often unclear whether Byzantine interpreters perceived such passages laughable or at least inappropriate for a prophetic writing. This study presents a few examples of early Byzantine commentaries to the episode with Jonah and a gourd (Jonah 4:6–11). None of the commentaries expresses any explicit amusement caused by the discussed text. However, the style, method, or context of each commentary appears to be passing the traditional bounds of Bible interpretation. The earlier interpreters adhere to the most expected moral reading of Jonah 4, but they use epithets, metaphors, or omissions, which produce the effect of paradox comparable to the biblical wording itself. The later commentaries tend to involve unexpected and even provocative senses. In such interpretations, God can be thought of as being able to play with a human or even to fool and deceive. What seems us humorous in the Bible, Byzantine commentators take primarily as a paradox, which they did not explain or remove but elaborate further paradoxically. The later an interpreter is, the bolder his paradoxical approach appears. The results of the study provide some clues to understanding how the interpretation of humorous, parodic, or ironical passages were developing in the history of Byzantine intellectual culture.

Language

Byzantine Greek was a highly developed and artful language with close ties both to the living language of the time and to a centuries-old literary heritage. Like all humans, the Byzantines grew up with their mother tongue; for those of Greek-speaking background and in Greek-speaking contexts, this was the spoken medieval Greek. Those who had the privilege to obtain education adopted—to various degrees—linguistic elements of older stages of the Greek language in order to compose their texts. Many of these older linguistic elements were used in a seemingly “arbitrary” way when compared to the linguistic rules of ancient Greek. Viewed in their contemporary context, however, these elements were creatively incorporated into a linguistic system which was essentially based on the contemporary language and was consistent in itself. The creative blend of traditional and modern features—though not readily accessible to the modern reader—and the tension between them left ample space for personal choices. This is precisely what makes the language of Byzantine literature a particularly exciting topic.

PRAISE OF HUMAN FEELINGS IN M.SHAHRIYAR'S POEM “SAHANDIYA”

There is nothing that can affect the spirit and national consciousness of the people as an artistic word. Glorification, propagation and transmission of human feelings from generation to generation is the highest task of the art of speech and literature. In this sense, there is a greater task and responsibility before genius masters of a word. In keeping the people alive, instilling human feelings, and glorifying the highest human feelings such as patriotism, heroism, and bravery, the poets held a leading position in all periods of society. The works of the poet Mohammad Hussein Shahriyar (1906-1988), the most famous figure of both South and North Azerbaijani literature, and the pearls of art he created, especially the poem “Sahandiya” written in a modern style, are of great interest to many readers today. The main purpose of the article is to acquaint the modern reader with the valuable heritage of the poet, promote this heritage by demonstrating the artistic features and importance of the poem “Sahandiya”, which is considered one of the masterpieces among the poet's works written in the native language. Although the poet does not speak in an open context in the poem, the city of M.A. Sabir, remembering Shamakha and Shirvan, actually reminds of the problem of divided Azerbaijan. The last parts of the poem are dedicated to the problem of separation, one of the most painful issues of a divided Azerbaijan. The master described the enthusiasm of the poets of North Azerbaijan for his voice as the support of the mountains, the clear dawn of the waters of the Araz, holding the lamp in the darkness, "the sturgeon of that foal." Due to these features - the high appreciation of national and spiritual interests, the poem "Sahandiya" remains relevant at all times.

And General Befuddlements

This chapter discusses some of the oddities in biblical texts that continue to befuddle even scholars. Reasons include the vagaries of transmission and how far removed the modern reader—as well as the modern scholar—is from the cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts in which the Bible was written. Some of these puzzling texts may assume familiarity with customs or stories well known to the authors but lost to us now; others may be cases of stories missing significant parts; in still other cases, one might simply want to know more than the texts reveal. This chapter investigates the Bible’s range of translation possibilities, its literary context and forms, its historical contexts, and particular theological assumptions at work, including the fact that all the texts were collected and presented by believers, not disinterested reporters. The chapter then reveals that some possibilities for interpretation and understanding are stronger than others. Furthermore, even in those cases where the Bible's oddities defy experts, the possibilities for understanding, interpretation, and even application are not without limit.

Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy as a Discovery

In the review, V. A. Kotelnikov’s new book “Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy in Life and Literature” is regarded as a scientific discovery. The author lists various aspects of the great work that became the discovery of the personality of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (the circumstances of his life, relations with contemporaries, opinions on pressing issues, philosophical reflections, etc.), the discovery of A. K. Tolstoy’s works, keeping many mysteries, the discovery of some of his remarkable contemporaries, the discovery of the time of the earthly existence of the writer and poet who lived and worked in a difficult transitional historical era. The review notes that the book by V. A. Kotelnikov is remarkable for the discovery of the historical and cultural era of the middle of the 19th century in her biggest achievements, characteristic tendencies. The author emphasizes the breadth and encyclopedic knowledge of the author of the new research, which is a necessary condition for creating a book about a personality of the scale of A. K. Tolstoy. The style of the new edition is assessed, the main substantive aspects considered by the author are given, the importance of labor in modern literary criticism is shown. The book by V. A. Kotelnikov through dialogue, analogies and comparisons with the creative personality of the writer of the golden age of the classics also becomes a discovery of himself for the modern reader.

Artistic works of the literary group „Lanka”-MARS at the reception of the criticism of the Ukrainian diaspora

The article notes that critics of the Ukrainian diaspora emphasized the significance of the works of the „Lanka”-MARS authors, considered the main strategies of their work, and determined the connection of the works with the world literary tradition. Lavrinenko's anthology „The Executed Renaissance” allows us to understand the specifics of the history of Ukrainian literature of the 1920s and 1930s. Yu. Lavrinenko represented articles about the works of B. Antonenko-Davydovych, G. Kosynka, T. Osmachka, E. Pluzhnyk, V. Pidmohylny, and D. Falkivsky, which testify to the specifics of Yu. Lavrinenko's reception. The critic called love the main characteristic of T. Osmachka's poems. Yu. Lavrineno emphasized that D. Falkivsky's poetry is characterized by simplicity and naturalness. The article defines that the critic, characterizing the poetic texts of E. Pluzhnyk, emphasizes the principles of his poetics that represent acmeistic traditions. Yu. Lavrinenko focuses on determining the main principles of V. Pidmohylny's works. The article states that Yu. Lavrinenko calls G. Kosynka a talented author of his time, in his skill the writer stands next to M. Khvylov and V. Pidmohylny, his epic works reveal a synthesis of lyricism and brutal metaphor. B. Antonenko-Davidovych's story „Death” is represented by the critic of the Ukrainian diaspora as a confrontation between man, personality and the Communist Party. The article considers the reception of Yu. Sherekh by V. Pidmohylny and T. Osmachka. The critic reveals the deep meaning of V. Pidmohylny's novel „City”, which allows the modern reader to read the work from a different angle, to see new aspects of the artistic world of the text. The article examines the strategies of interpretation of the works of T. Osmachka. Yu. Sherekh called the Ukrainian poet one of the best modern authors, saw his connection with the world tradition, with the works of D. Byron and O. Pushkin.