MEMORY SPACE AS ONE OF THE PLOT CREATION FACTORS OF OLENA ZAKHARCHENKO’S SHORT NOVEL “FARM”

Abstract

The article deals with the cultural memory, which is formed by the continuity of cultural and literary traditions of the people, the nation and links the past and the present to provide the sense of unity and identity
formation. This literary text is a medium of cultural memory and ensures its continuity. The writer of the text updates the individual memory through her own memories and communicative memory.
The story of Olena Zakharchenko is addressed to schoolchildren and belongs to realistic prose according to the genre and stylistic features. However, in the process of analysis of its genre, the author of the article reveals the signs of historical, adventure and fantastic (elements of fantasy) stories that enable to state on modification of the genre of a realistic novel and Meta genre. The researcher defines memory as the most important factor of the plot creation. It refers to the memory space where the past and the present intertwine and different time space layers are combined. Various places within the farm-topos are presented in the work that accumulates memories of the past. They are a hut of Grandmother Maria and grandfather Kyryl, Watch hut on the hill, an old, rich and beautiful once, now abandoned the landlord’s mansion; kryiivka of rebels (UPA), underground tunnels etc. They are silent witnesses of historical and legendary events. However, each of these locations includes residents, id est mediums of communicative memory. For example, they are Grandmother Maria and grandfather Kyryl, an old librarian, his wife, called a witch; a keeper, UPA fighters, and others. Extraneous of memory layers is created with parallel plot formation: revealing the secrets of Princess Mylska and the collapse of the Soviet Union that involved the characters of the novel.
Thus, the author creates a story plot, leading a reader to the memory space, making a stop at iconic places where memories are concentrated, ancient secrets are revealed, saved legends are being alive.
The researcher proves that the short novel of Olena Zakharchenko is the material medium of living memory, which continuity is ensured by a continuity of generations, memories of participants or witnesses of events sometimes even legendary. Communicative memory as a living chain unites various people, not just representatives of different generations of one family, but also those who live in one area, on a piece of land that has become native to them, since it is called Motherland. So, this is a way of community formation and national identity construction.