The usage of the epistolary heritage in the process of studying the biography of Lesia Ukrainka

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The usage of the epistolary heritage in the process of studying the biography of Lesia Ukrainka

L.A. Bashmanivska, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences (PhD in Pedagogy), Docent, V.I. Bashmanivskyi Candidate of Philological Sciences (PhD in Philology), Docent, Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University

The article deals with the issue of using the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka as a significant original source for studying the biography of the writer, true evidence of her life and work.

It claims that the epistolary heritage is an important source of cognition of Ukrainian fiction. It allows tracing the ways of forming the writer as a professional, the development of their literary and aesthetic views, features of the thinking process. It also highlights the relationship of the artist with famous contemporaries, and helps to understand artistic heritage, historical events.

It concludes that the letters let scholars learn about writer's friends, her like-minded people, about the national and cultural life of Ukraine, about the artistic preferences of various cultural and artistic figures of Slavic and European literature.

It also points out the great cognitive and educational value of the epistolary heritage of writers in the lessons of Ukrainian literature.

The emphasis is placed on the use of various forms and methods of working with letters that can help to form pupil's personal attitude. It can be an important means of increasing pupils' interest in literature.

It states that the epistolary heritage is the significant source for studying the biography of Lesia Ukrainka. It reveals her views on life and work, attitude toward the literary process and social life, especially the spiritual world of the writer. Therefore, the teacher of literature creates a certain emotional mood in the lesson, helps to penetrate into writer's creative laboratory, to present worldview values, artistic and aesthetic preferences.

It summarizes that reading Lesia's letters helps pupils to feel and understand her worries. The epistolary materials make schoolchildren think about their own life and deepen into their own inward worlds. The use of epistolary materials increases students' interest in literature, the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.

Key words: Epistolary, epistolary heritage, biography, worldview values, forms and methods.

Introduction of the issue

In the process of studying the biography and artistic heritage of famous Ukrainian writers, epistolary occupies an important place, which allows us to trace the formation of the writer, the development of their literary and aesthetic views, artistic tastes, and works of art. The epistolary heritage is an important source for studying the writer's individuality, and the peculiarities of their way of thinking. It also highlights the writer's relationship with other famous contemporaries and the attitude towards some historical events. It helps to realize the general artistic heritage as well.

The epistolary occupies an important place in the legacy of Lesia Ukrainka. It is the primary source for studying her life and career, and the socio-political thought that was formed in Ukrainian society back then. In addition to relatives and friends, Lesia Ukrainka corresponded with literary and cultural figures. It allows learning about the writer's friends, like-minded people, historical figures, and the national and cultural life of Ukraine. We can find portraits and artistic preferences of various figures of culture and art of Slavic and European pieces of literature in the letters.

Lesia Ukrainka's letters are considered by many researchers to be an art that recreates the inner connection with the era in which she lived and worked. The writer tried to cover events and literary problems. We can also observe her emotional state there. Conforming to I. Pohrebniak, "the tone of letters is by far the best material which helps to create a certain and vivid picture of an author, to feel the nature of their individuality, to see the mental and inner world, their world perception and mental spirits, to come into direct, intimate communication with him" [4].

When using the epistolary heritage of writers in the lessons of Ukrainian literature, it is worth remembering its cognitive and educational value. In this context, the task of a linguist is to preserve the spirituality of our youth in the modern information-based society. Among the means of reviving the national identity of schoolchildren, we want to highlight the study of the creative heritage of writers and the vivid facts of the biography with the use of memoirs and letters. Therefore, when considering Lesia Ukrainka's biography, we suggest using her letters to present the spiritual world of the poet, to get students interested in epistolary, which is a means of activating interest in studying Ukrainian literature at school, a means of forming morality.

Pursuant to V. Pustovit, the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka "reliably reflects the laboratory of author's style, experimentation in search of a genre, is a manifestation of the psychology of creativity, gender relations, worldview, value aspects" [6: 147].

Current state of the issue

The issue of studying the writers' epistolary heritage is described in the works of such famous scholars as V. Aheiev, L. Vashkiv, V. Hladkyi, I. Zabiiaka, A. Ilkiv, L. Kotsubynska, Zh. Liakhova, I. Pohrebniak, V. Pustovit, L. Semeniuk, V. Sviatovets, O. Tomchuk. Such famous methodists as N. Voloshyna, V. Nedilko, Ye. Pasichnyk, K. Prykhodchenko,M. Petrychenko,B. Stepanyshyn, N/ Slonovska, V. Tsymbaliuk and others highlighted the importance of learning the epistolary heritage of writers in the Ukrainian literature lessons.

They reckoned the use of epistolary heritage is a significant means of intensifying the educational process in the lessons of Ukrainian literature and increases the efficiency of a teacher. According to N. Petrychenko, "letters are the voice of the writer's mind and heart, while an acquaintance with them is a way to penetrate the spiritual world of the artist and his characters, the aesthetic fabric of the work, comprehending the author's position and at the same time encouraging self-analysis and self-education of the reader. The key point of this process is the "meeting" of two individuals" [3: 32].

The aim of research is to prove the importance and expediency of using the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka as a significant source for studying the biography of the writer, true evidence of her life and work.

Results and discussion

The epistolary of writers is an intellectual heritage through which the knowledge of Ukrainian fiction takes place that has long attracted the attention of researchers. In particular, O. Tomchuk raises the problem of studying epistolary as an essential methodological factor of modern literary biography based on private correspondence. The author considers letters as a component of the writer's literary heritage, a valuable source for understanding life and creative intentions, ideological and aesthetic priorities, place and role of the artist in the literary process [8].

In this context, it is interesting to study the thorough research of Lesia Ukrainka's epistolary by V. Svyatovets, where the author considers the epistolary heritage of the writer in various aspects: historical and literary, source, literary and aesthetic [7].

The author draws attention to the construction of letters and the problems raised in them: "1) letters that sometimes resemble a diary; 2) letters with elements of folklore intelligence; 3) correspondence close to literary-critical materials; 4) the characteristic richness of figurative expressions; 5) observance of conspiracy in correspondence; 6) journalistic sharpness of epistolary material; 7) social and political issues" [7: 24]. The scholar claims Lesia Ukrainka's letters are similar to the memoir genre and resemble the journal.

In accordance with M. Moklytsa, the epistolary heritage is "like an open door to a writer's workplace, where all the processes can be seen more clearly, brighter, you can see how ideas and moods find form, how images are born or flare up, how themes fade and dim, plots unfold and conflicts escalate" [1: 150].

Today, the study of the biography of any writer requires a scientific justification from the standpoint of modern methodology. The use of previously-made chronological tables, memorization of biographies presented in the school textbooks, in order to obtain a grade reduces students' interest in lessons of Ukrainian literature. Because of such old- fashioned methods that are used, the time when the writer lived and created is eliminated. Therefore, the usage of innovative methods, such as conducting a lesson on letters, is a source of studying the writer's life and work and helps to understand the peculiarities of writing works of art. It is the study of biography in Ukrainian literature that begins to take into consideration of each monographic topic. That is why it should be a stimulus to be interested in the work of the writer.

Hence, the teacher of Ukrainian literature can use the letters of Lesia Ukrainka for pupils to learn the biography. These letters are a true testimony of her life and works. In addition, they are defined by their informational value and creativity. They are of significant value in the creative heritage of Lesia Ukrainka. The writer corresponded with her relatives, friends, and cultural and artistic figures. Each of her letters describes her thoughts, feelings, and moods, that the writer felt at that moment. All of the epistles allow obtaining the objective perception of the writer's worldview values, and her artistic and aesthetic preferences. They give an opportunity to recreate the era, when Lesia Ukrainka lived, and figure the idea and creation of works of art out. In this contest, it is much better for pupils to perceive the biographic material.

The letters show us how diligently Lesia Ukrainka treated the correspondence. This was the only source of communication with relatives for her due to illness and constant wandering life. The writer herself writes about the genre diversity of her letters: "business, friendly and kinship, own, mediatory, "lettersum", egocentric, hurried, pitiful, grasped, well-bred letters, small" [9: 30]. They reflect the literary process of that time, thanks to which we can learn about the literary life deeper and brighter.

From the descriptions of psychological experiences, nature, together with pupils, we can imagine how the writer's personality was created. After all, studying Lesia Ukrainka's biography based on letters is an extremely interesting type of work in class because the epistolary is the most truthful material about the writer's preferences, tastes, and her socio-political and literary- aesthetic views. Thus, the lesson creates a corresponding emotional mood, pupils try to delve into the creative laboratory of our countrywoman, and see her spiritual world, while learning about the various cultural figures with whom the writer corresponded. Moreover, it would be interesting to examine the peculiarities of Lesia Ukrainka's family correspondence which has a special warmth. Pupils will find out that Lesia Ukrainka wrote letters to relatives as a child, in particular to her grandmother Yelyzaveta Ivanivna, and her uncle and aunt Drahomanov. We should explain the fact that throughout all her childhood she was ill, then she had been struggling with the disease for the whole life. She said this was her "thirty years war" [10: 406]. Her life was a constant travel to the places of treatment. The disease caused her a lot of suffering, so this correspondence was almost the only consolation in her life. But she never gave up, she hoped for recovery, for healing with the help of spring, the sun and the sea.

Lesia Ukrainka once wrote in the letter to her mother: "If the real spring came sooner for the sun to be more" [10: 231]. Or the letter to the Kosach family: "...so nice spring we have got here! The gardens flourished, even the violets were blue everywhere in the shade, - so I have `uplifted'. When the heat affects me I become doubly healthier" [10: 278]. Everything she had in her heart, she poured out on the paper. It was as if her confession, and at the same time, hardened the spirit.

Despite the disease the writer did everything she could. When she was only 18 she joined the activity of Kyiv "Pleiada". There were translation works of world literature masterpieces as well. In connection with this she wrote to her brother Mykhailo: "Now I can see that you really have to "get down to business" and stop being depressed. There is nothing more than say that I'm going to work SO hard! Everything that will depend on me, I'll do my best to execute! What else I can do if not that! Because, nevertheless, literature is my job! " [9: 37-38]. The poetess shared most of her thoughts and plans with her uncle M. Drahomanov: read books he recommended, studied languages, listened to his advice.

After that we should highlight that Lesia Ukrainka was a woman of spirit, she fought against the disease and worked hard all her life! She wrote that literature is not just her profession - it's her calling! A lot of interesting facts about political and literary life of Ukraine and many other countries can be found in the letters to her relatives. While traveling to Bulgaria, Italy, Egypt, Germany and other countries the poetess was describing very thoroughly everything she saw there. For the sick Lesia Ukrainka these journeys and correspondence were salvation and a huge part of her life.

In order to improve her spiritual life, Lesia Ukrainka corresponded with many people who were of interest to her. As the woman once wrote, there were days when she sent about eight letters in which she shared her successes and failures, literary ideas, commented on her works and made an evaluation of critics of that time, took an interest on art. Moreover, she interchanged views on theatrical and operatic performances, music, pictorial art, etc.

Then we should pay pupils' attention to the fact that Lesia Ukrainka's letters are diverse and meaningful. They raised important issues that troubled writers of that time. In one of her letters to I. Franko she wrote: "… our words become our deeds and we are judged by people "according to our deeds", and those who do not have that fate talk to themselves as much as they want, and none of them asks anything… Didn't you say about poets: "May they be sincere, sincere, sincere!" Here is the whole law and the prophets!" [9: 18].

During the lesson of teaching the biography of the writer, the epistolary can be considered as both a private document and a historical and literary source of the formation of the Ukrainian democratic thought of that time. The writer's correspondence reflects editorial views.

In her letters, Lesia Ukrainka often expressed critical and well-founded assessments of the works of her contemporaries.

While using the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka when teaching biography, it is necessary to explain to pupils the content and mood of her thoughts, speculations about her complicated fortune, and search for an individual path in life, the role of her friends. With such a purpose, the teacher can select the appropriate letters, either read some extracts out or write them down on board, and show them from the screen. It is extremely significant for pupils to seize the essence of these letters. The teacher can achieve this by using the conversation to find out pupil's personal opinions on a certain matter, forming the questions on some problems, giving tasks for self- investigation of epistolary materials, and leading a kind of a dialogue `a letter - a pupil'.

In addition to this, we should tell pupils that in these letters to relatives Lesia Ukrainka explains her points of view on educational and scientific matters. In the letter to M. Drahomanov Lesia Ukrainka writes that it makes her feel better that "our people are beginning to think more about their own education, rather than being satisfied with the state science itself as it has been earlier" [9: 112]. "There are only a few of those who conduct cultural work among the people directly, and not through a book, but there are still some. All that is a drop in the bucket, but still constant dripping probably wears away a stone" [9: 160].

But there were some difficult periods in Lesia Ukrainka's life when she could only write letters. However, the poetess never gave up. The evidence of this is her letter to the Drahomanov family: "I am now in the spring mood and thoughts are no longer at home, but flying around the world. The space for thoughts is huge, and I have got many plans. I even like the idea that I am not yet aware of where I will be in the summer. I would like to be in the summer if not in Bulgaria, then somewhere on the Dnipro river on the rapids. In any case, I believe this summer will be better and more pleasant for me than the last one" [9: 156].

It is important to highlight that this correspondence between the Kosach and Drahomanov families had a significant impact on Lesia Ukrainka's worldview and art.

In general, the method of studying the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka involves the selection of letters to the lessons of Ukrainian literature, which is both a source and an illustration during the study of the writer's biography, and creates a corresponding emotional mood while studying her works. Moreover, it is appropriate to use the epistolary in the lessons of studying biography, which also involves the memories of contemporaries and diary entries. Hence, it is important to apply various methods and forms of work with the letters. These could be illustrations of letters during a teacher's lecture, asking problematic questions, tasks for self-study of epistolary heritage, etc.

One of the most interesting forms of work with the epistolary heritage in the lessons of Ukrainian literature is the selection of a quote from a letter of the poetess as an epigraph to the lesson or a composition. Aside from that, children also can find an aphoristic phrase, because Lesia Ukrainka's letters are full of color. There are many popular expressions of folklore and literary origin, proverbs and sayings. Her letters contain the characteristics of various events, reviews of literary works, sceneries.

It is necessary to choose such forms and work methods that will help to form a personal attitude in pupils' mind. These can also be advanced tasks, debate, annotated reading, conversation, lecture with elements of conversation, problem- based learning, research work, etc.

In the middle classes these epistolary materials serve, to a greater extend, as an illustration for teacher's explanation. Schoolchildren learn the concept of letter building, get acquainted with the history of correspondence, understand the significance of the letters as the source of information about the poetess, her art. What is more, they acquire the skills of independent work with letters. For example, they learn how to draw up a bibliography, select quotes, copy out some notes, compare letters with works of art.

In the senior classes schoolchildren can see the connection between the correspondence and art of Lesia Ukrainka. By the way, they are able to deepen their knowledge about the theory of correspondence itself. The epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka is considered to be a means of familiarizing with the inward world of the poetess.

The epistolary heritage can be used at different stages of the lesson of biography learning. By the way, it can also be used when analyzing the work of art or at final lessons. With the help of these materials a certain emotional background is created. This background affects pupils' interest in the figure of the poetess. Besides, the teacher can use the epistolary heritage during some extracurricular activities. For instance, The Day of Lesia Ukrainka's Letter can be held, where children would discuss the content of some letters of the writer. Moreover, there can be created the groups of young researchers: biographers, historians, literary critics.

A great object for searching activities of pupils at the lesson of Ukrainian literature can become the following issue: "The biography of Lesia Ukrainka with the help of letters". The teacher has to advise the pupils which illustrative epistolary material can be selected to learn writer's biography, recommend the necessary literature, point to the appropriate letters that are to be used during preparation. Therefore, it means that the teacher has to manage the whole process of preparing. Having got enough knowledge on this topic, children are able to understand the content, seize Lesia's considerations about her fortune, and realize the importance of friends in her life.

Thus, the epistolary heritage of Lesia Ukrainka may become the important means of increasing pupils' interest in literature. Some methodists, in particular N. Petrychenko, recommend using the epistolary materials during the hobby clubs, optional classes, where schoolchildren are able to work on the writer's letters in the context of a particular problem ("The Question of Psychology of Creativity in the Epistolary Heritage of Lesia Ukrainka", "The Beauty of the Homeland Nature in the Letters of Lesia Ukrainka", etc.). The scientist suggests to use the samples of epistolary prose during some extracurricular activities (quizzes, competitions, literary and artistic evenings, The Day of a Letter, etc.) [3: 13]. Therefore, a holistic study of the biography of the writer on epistolary heritage is possible only if pupils master the system of knowledge about the epistolary of the writer, develop skills and abilities to work with it. It requires using various methods, techniques, and forms of pupil learning.

Conclusions and research perspectives

It states that the epistolary heritage is the significant source for studying the biography of Lesia Ukrainka in secondary schools. It reveals her views on life and work, attitude toward the literary process and social life, especially the spiritual world of the writer. We may find interesting material for understanding the biography and the writer's creativity itself in her letters. By reading out excerpts from Lesia Ukrainka's letters illustrating the poet's life and creative path, the literature teacher creates a certain emotional mood in the lesson, helps to penetrate her creative laboratory, imagine worldview values, artistic and aesthetic preferences. Reading Lesia's letters helps pupils to feel and understand her worries. The epistolary materials make schoolchildren think about their own life and deepen into their own inward worlds. Using epistolary materials increases pupils' interest in literature and the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.

ukrainka writer literary epistolary

References (translated & transliterated)

1. Moklytsia M. (2018). Epistoliarii Lesi Ukrainky yak paraliteraturna tvorchist. [Lesia Ukrainka's epistolary as a paraliterary work]. Volyn filolohichna: tekst i kontekst - Volyn philological: text and context. Literature non-fiction: Collection of Scientific Works, edition 25, 146-154 [in Ukrainian].

2. Petrychenko N. (2003). Metodyka vykorystannia epistoliarnykh materialiv u protsesi vyvchennia ukrainskoi literatury [The methods of using epistolary materials while learning the Ukrainian literature]. Extended abstract of candidate's thesis. Kyiv, 23 [in Ukrainian].

3. Petrychenko N. (2004). Lyst pysmennyka na uchnivskii parti [Letter of the writer at the student desk]. Dyvoslovo - Miraculous word, № 4, p. 32 [in Ukrainian].

4. Pohrebniak I. (2015). Epistoliarii yak artefakt dukhovnosti [The epistolary heritage as an artifact of spirituality]. Synopsis: text, context, media - Synopsis: text, context, media, № 3 (11). [in Ukrainian].

5. Pustovit V. (2020). Pysmennytskyi epistoliarii: filolohichnyi dyskurs: posibnyk [Writer's epistolary: philological discourse: manual]. Kyiv: Interservis, p. 106 [in Ukrainian].

6. Pustovit V. (2020). Epistoliarii Lesi Ukrainky yak dzherelo z istorii natsionalno-kulturnoho zhyttia ukrainstva kintsia KhIKh - pochatku KhKh stolittia [Lesia Ukrainka's epistolary as a source on the history of the national and cultural life of Ukrainians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries]. Vcheni zapysky. Seriia: Filolohiia. Sotsialni komunikatsii - Scholarly notes. Series: Philology. Social communications, vol. 31 (70), № 3, ch. 2, 147-151 [in Ukrainian].

7. Sviatovets V. (1981). Epistoliarna spadshchyna Lesi Ukrainky: Lysty v konteksti khudozhnoi tvorchosti [Lesia Ukrainka's epistolary heritage: Letters in the context of art]. Kyiv: Vyscha shkola, 184 [in Ukrainian].

8. Tomchuk O. Epistoliarii pysmennyka i problemy suchasnoi biohrafistyky [Epistolary of the writer and the issues of modern biography]. [in Ukrainian].

9. Ukrainka L. (1978). Zibrannia tvoriv: u 12-ty tomakh. T. 10. Lysty (1876-1897) [Collection of works: in 12 volumes. T. 10. Letters (1876-1897)], arranged by V. Yaremenko. Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 543 [in Ukrainian].

10. Ukrainka L. (1979). Zibrannia tvoriv: u 12-ty tomakh. T. 12. Lysty (1903-1913) [Collection of works: in 12 volumes. T. 12. Letters (1903-1913)], arranged by V. Sviatovets. Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 694 [in Ukrainian].

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