Information on the thesis

In the thesis we investigate the creative world of Pamvo Berynda as a whole,
formed in the process of close interaction of verbal and visual factors, which is
manifested in all his activities: typography, engraving, lexicography, writing. The
thesis provides the very first comprehensive study of life and creative legacy of Pamvo
Berynda, the poet, the engraver, the lexicographer of the late XVI – first third of the
XVII century. Even though each of the facets of his work has attracted the attention of
researchers and promoters, the attempt to present a holistic creative portrait of Pamvo
Berynda has been made for the first time. The role of the general and authorial context
for clarification of biographical facts, attribution of texts, genesis of literary motives is
substantiated.
A study of the life and work of Pamvo Berynda gives grounds to see how, on the
one hand, historical, cultural, and religious processes of the late XVI — first third of
the XVII century form a specific type of intelligent personality focused on raising
education and mastering Christian values, and on the other — reveals to a large extent
the possibility to distinguish certain individuals among others alike. Pamvo Berynda’s
typographical, lexicographical, and literary heritage testifies to the special level of
relations between the Lviv Brotherhood and Hedeon Balaban’s circle, which rose above
mutual misunderstandings, inspired by both internal and external factors, and showed
importance of joint efforts when trying to achieve common good.
The collection “On the Nativity of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ for
the Consolation of an Orthodox Christian” („На Рожество Господа Бога і Спаса
нашего Ісуса Христа вЂршЂ для утЂхи православным христіаном”) is one of the
first Ukrainian recitations that fits into the European context of greeting literature,
revealing the expressiveness of Byzantine motifs in accordance with the Lviv tradition.
Thus, Pamvo Berynda in this regard became a spokesman for the reconciliation of
various traditions. The Christmas poems, in addition to congratulating Jeremiah
Tisarovskyi, demonstrated the principles of rhetoric provided by the curriculum,
appealing to ancient models. In this sense, the collection is instructive from different
points of view.
Christmas verses required recitation, and at the same time drew attention to the
dialogue, drama-specific feature. The most important thing is that, in fact, Pamvo
Berynda established the Christmas tradition in the history of Ukrainian literature.
Coherent compositional and structural analysis of the collection “On the
Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ for the consolation of Orthodox
Christians” shows that the recitation together with the accompanying verses create a
single Christmas cycle. Here we see the closed integrity of the text in the recitation
itself, and at the same time — the process of “opening” or expanding the text, when
outside the recitation Pamvo Berynda continues the Christmas theme because of the
Christmas event, which appears in the fulness of its impact on the future of mankind.
Among the sources of poems are the lectures of the Lviv Brotherhood School,
including textbooks with recommendations on the form and content of such poetic
dialogues and directly thematic texts by Menander Rhetor, Cornelius Schoneus, Jacob
Pontan, Erasmus of Rotterdam. The influence of biographical and liturgical literature,
as well as folklore is prominent, which can be considered a characteristic feature of
Lviv texts.
The use of a Christmas plot often provokes a comparison of a literary work with
canonical history, but the analysis of biblical poetics in Pamvo Berynda’s Christmas
recitation testifies to the originality of the author’s interpretation. The collection of
“Poems for the Nativity of Christ” (1616) is considered as a self-projection of the
author on the sources, structure, methods of interpretation, a kind of translation of the
word into image.
The complex nature of the study determines the integral interpretation of the life
and work of Pamvo Berynda. Characteristic of modern medieval studies, the use of
related and auxiliary disciplines acquires special importance given the versatility of the
author. At the same time, the nature of the Christmas collection provides the basis for
the actual literary approach.
Key words: history of literature, recitation, engraving, context, early baroque,
medieval studies, text sources, hermeneutics, intertextuality, tradition.