ARCHETYPAL FEATURES OF MARIIA MATIOS’ POETICS (BASED ON THE NOVEL «ARMAGEDDON HAS ALREADY HAPPENED»)

Abstract

The paper outlines the archetypal features of poetics, which involves defining a set of artistic techniques that ensure the perfect realization of the idea of a literary work, its integrity and a high level of its artistry. The comprehension of artistic techniques implies their understanding as a variety of means used by the author: techniques themselves, artistic images, symbols, etc. The disclosure of the author’s inner world, as well as the appeal to the collective unconscious in the Jungian interpretation, give them special significance and enhanced energetic influence. The use of the psychological context and literary analysis of such text elements allows us to better assess their artistry and come closer to understanding the author, in particular his/her worldview. The methodological approach of the research is defined as the definition of the archetypal poetics of a literary text. For this purpose, examples from the work of the modern Ukrainian writer Mariia Matios, whose prose reveals vivid tendencies towards psychologization and the embodiment of significant universal concepts, have been used. The subject of the research is the specificity of the embodiment of archetypes in the story “Armageddon Has Already Happened” and their role in modeling the artistic world and integrating the author’s worldview into it. The central image of the story that is emphasized by the title is the Armageddon, or the Apocalypse. Its meaning in the biblical dimension and the individual author’s understanding is clarified, where certain differences are identified. Maria Mathios does not interpret this as a certain end, but instead sees the potential for transformation and salvation, a continuation after the end, which is consistent with the Jungian archetype. This is in line with the Jungian archetype of Renaissance and Renewal as one of its variations. In the novel, the Armageddon is individualized, that is, the main character lives his own end of the world, which accentuates the metamorphoses of key universal archetypes, the embodiments of which he comes into contact with. Thus, we observe the desacralization of the archetypes of the Great Mother and the Divine Child as a consequence of spirituality and its multiplication on barren soil. However, through the imaginative system of characters, Mariia Matios presents both eschatological visions and hope for a brighter future in the image of daughter Svitlana. These phenomena are reflected through expressive artistic images, including interior details, as well as the actions of main characters.