Specificity of Intertexual Titles Functioning in Ukrainian Authorship of 1920s

Abstract

Introduction.  The title is an important component of fiction. This is the first sign of the text, which forms its understanding, it’s the first step to interpretation. This article deals with the specific variety - intertextual titles that allow to establish a "dialogue" of metatext with other literary works.

Purpose. Purpose of the article is to analyze the specific of functioning of intertexual titles in Ukrainian prose and drama of 20s years of the twentieth century.

Originality. For today the Ukrainian literary studies has only some arguments about the specifics of intertextual titles in Ukrainian prose and drama of specified period, current research direction is the formation of a holistic concept of their existence. This allows to talk about relevance and a scientific novelty of this research. It means that it’s necessary to systematize the existing literary reflection, to clarify certain arguments, to add new information, and the most important thing is to find mechanisms of titles-intertextemes, to specify their typology and functions through the formation of a complete picture.

Results. Among all the variety of "names" of fiction, titles-intertextemes make a relatively small group. In the process of analysis of Ukrainian prose and drama of 1920s (the works of  B.Antonenko-Davydovych, Ostap Vyshnia, I.Dniprovskyi, V.Petrov, O.Dosvitnii, M.Yohansen, M.Ivchenko, H.Kosynka, M.Kulish, Ia.Mamontov, V.Pidmohylnyi, Ie.Pluzhnyk, O.Slisarenko, L.Starytska-Cherniakhivska, M.Khvyliovyi, Iu.Shpola, Iu.Ianovskyi was taken into consideration) it turned out that the majority of writers don’t resort to intertextual titles, preferring either original names, or those, semantics of which was so "worn off" because of the frequent use, that there is no clearer correlation with certain prototext. 

More often we can find intertextual titles in the works of M.Khvyliovyi (11) and Ostap Vyshnia (6). Certain interesting examples of such titles were found in the books of B.Antonenko-Davydovych, H.Kosynka, I.Dniprovskyi, L.Starytska-Cherniakhivska, Ia.Mamontov, O.Slisarenko. Totally at this stage of research were found 42 intertextual titles, 3 of which are of Biblical origin, 2 of which are of folk origin, 8 titles represent Ukrainian literature (from antiquity to the early twentieth century: an unknown author of the drama "Grace of God", M.Hohol, H.Kvitka-Osnovianenko, T.Shevchenko, V.Ellan, M.Khvyliovyi, H.Kosynka, Ia.Mamontov), 4 titles represent foreign literature (Xenophon, Ch.Perrault, J.W.Goethe, R.Rolland), 1 – Russian literature (I.Erenburh). The titles, which are redirected to musical prototext, stood out separately ("Pathetique Sonata" by M.Kulish, «Dies irae» and «Ave, Maria» by Ia.Mamontov) and associated not with a specific literary source, but with a certain literary tradition, "cultural memory" genre models, etc.

In the process of analysis there was an attempt to create classification of intertexual titles. Quotation titles, which fully or partially duplicate the name of prototext, is offered to include to the first group; allusional titles, where some important component of the supplier text is mentioned, should be included to the second group; the third group combines the titles that take over a certain nominative "pattern", that is, appeal to cultural tradition; the fourth group are titles-intertextemes, that redirect recipients to a specific genre model.

Intertextual titles execute all the same functions as usual titles (nominative, delimitative, informative, advertising-expressive, function of prediction and orientation, etc.), but there are two central functions in this functional complex. They are - dialogized / communicative / and play."Foreign word" in the title redirects the recipient to another text for additional information and becomes the form of expression of writer’s own thoughts, the way of multiplying the semantic perspective of the word. At the same time, intertextual title is a game in which the writer tries to involve the recipient. It is especially noticeable in the works of Khvyliovyi.

Conclusion. This article shows individual approaches to the study of intertextual titles. Phenomenon under analysis requires further examination, including the involvement of a wider range of authors. Specificity of intertextual titles in the lyric poetry and lyrico-epic genre of 1920s. deserves for a separate subject conversation. This will be the subject of our further research study.