Information on the thesis

The  dissertation  is  devoted  to  a  complex  investigation  of  the  way  the  archetype  of
witch was constructed in Ukrainian belles-lettres of XIX–XX centuries. The research is based
on the analysis of Ukrainian literary texts, literary-theoretical and critical works, folklore and
ethnographic materials, iconography and pictorial art. The evolution of creative interpretation
of  the  archetypal  image  of  witch  is  also  investigated  in  this  dissertation,  especially  the
functioning of archetype as an author’s original reception.
An  upsurge  in  scientific  interest  in  folklore  in  the  XIX–XX  centuries  provoked
intensification of demonology research. Naturally, it was reflected in Ukrainian belles-lettres.
For  example,  the  Ukrainian  romanticism  relied  on  folklore  and  ethnographic  materials  for
belles-lettres, as well as demonology (H. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko “The Witch from Konotop”,
A. Storozhenko “The Demon Fallen in Love”, A. Somov “Witches from Kyiv”, Ye. Hrebinka
“Tchaikovsky”, and, of course, M. Gogol “Viy”, “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka”, “The
May Night, or the Drowned Maiden” and others).
Until  the  XX  century,  the  image  of  witch  was  interpreted  in  a  traditional  manner.
Formation  of  new  imagery  of  Ukrainian  literature  of  the  modern  age  is  largely  based  on
mythological symbols and plots as a universal basis of  verbal paradigm creation  in belles-
lettres.  Ukrainian  belles-lettres  has  created  a  new  image  of  women  marked  with  demonic
power. Destructive demonic power of women, femme fatale, and female vampirism is often
present in the literature of modernism. The literature of modernism with its decadent grief,
disappointment,  aesthetic  of  ugliness,  and  demonic  characteristics,  has  demonstrated  a
number of  interesting and creative experiments (“The Victim of  Art” (V. Pacovskij),  “The
Lightnings”  (M.  Yatskiv),  “Unfinished  Composition”  (S.  Tverdokhlib),  “The  Visit”  (B.
Lepky), “Four Devils” (G. Bang), “Nature” (O. Kobylianska).
The research reveals that creative interpretation and retransmission of the archetype of
witch in the Ukrainian literature follows two patterns: the first one strictly adheres to demotic
beliefs about witchcraft, while the second one demonstrates incredible and vivid examples of
original author’s interpretation.
Additionally, the research analyzes demonological beliefs and stories about evil spirits
and witchcraft widespread in different Ukrainian regions, as well as foreign folklore sources.
The  results  of  the  research  are  partly  based  on  field  recordings.  Certain  materials  are
published  for  the  first  time.  The  influence  of  mythological,  folklore,  and  ethnographical
material on author’s interpretation of witch’s image has also been researched.
To sum up, despite the hermeneutic openness of the archetype of witch in the process
of author’s interpretation and literary reception, the archetype still retains a connection with
the  mythological  sources.  It  is  necessary  to  observe  that  folklore  and  literature  correlation
creates exchange sphere for a new interpretation of motives in the belles-lettres.
Key  words:  archetype,  symbol,  archetypal  criticism,  witch,  female  demon,  snake-woman,
Eve, cat-woman, the other.