Criticism of Vladimir Propp’s Theory on Genesis of Magic Fairy Tales’ Structure
Ukrainian
National Academy of Science
Humanitarian
Educational Centre
Odessa
branch
Philosophy
Department
Olexander
Kyryliuk
ANTI-PROPP
Criticism
of Vladimir Propp’s
Theory
on Genesis of Magic Fairy
Tales’ Structure
Odessa
Autograph
– CHE UNSA
2009
ББК 71-0
К-43
УДК 008-1
Olexander
Kyryliuk. ANTI-PROPP. Criticism of Vladimir Propp’s Theory on Genesis of
Magic Fairy Tales Structure. – Odessa: Autograph/CHE UNSA, 2009. – p. 50. (Engl.).
Separate English supplement (Topics) to the book:
Olexander
Kyryliuk. Weltanschauung Categories of Ultimate Bases in the Universal Culture
Dimensions. – [Ukrainian National Academy of Science Ninetieth Anniversary; In
Commemoration of Academician Volodymyr Shуnkarуuk (80-th anniversary): Photo
coupled with wife]. / Abst. in Russian. pp. 357-389/ Bibl. pp. 392-411. /
English Summary. / Abbrev. // UNSA Humanitarian Educational Centre: Odessa
philosophy department // Odessa, Ukraine: Autograph Publish. House. –
2008. – 416 рр. In Ukrainian)
Олександр
Кирилюк. АНТИ-ПРОПП. Критика теорії В. Проппа зі структури чарівної казки та її
генезису. – Одеса: Автограф/ЦГО НАН
України. – 2009. – 50 с. (англ. мова).
Окремий додаток
до книги (автореферат англійською): Кирилюк
О.С. Світоглядні
категорії граничних підстав в універсальних вимірах культури. – Монографія. –
[Текст] – / Дев’яносто
років Національній академії наук України. / До восьмидесятиріччя академіка
Володимира Іларіоновича ШИНКАРУКА (фото з дружиною). / Автореф. книги рос. мовою сс. 357-389; резюме англ. мовою; список
скорочень; бібліограф. сс. 392-411. / Олександр Сергійович Кирилюк – Одеса: Центр Гуманітарної освіти НАН України. Одеський філіал / Автограф. – 2008. - 416 с. (укр.
мов.)
ISBN 966-96048-7-7
© О.С. Кирилюк,
2009
Summary
An original
author conception of Existential Semiotics is being developed in the monograph.
The methodological basis of the research is the results of studying the problem
„human being - world" at Kуivan School of Philosophy. The world is
understood as a projection of human senses on objective reality. But as the
most meaningful human senses are existential senses, world on the whole, and
its separate parts and phenomena get the indicated human measuring, foremost,
in the maximum terms of the beginning and the end, life and death. Such are not
only religious but also modern physical pictures of the world and history and
political theories.
These ultimate
senses form stable invariants of cultural discourses, in other words, they make
culture universalias. These are the Categories of Ultimate Bases or – birth,
life, death and immortality, and world-view codes, – alimentary, erotic,
aggressive and informative, and also their combinations and
formula „life – death – immortality".
They form not
only the core basis of culture texts, but also serve as the analytical language
of description of these texts.
Defining the
invariant elements of a fairy-tale structure is the applied version of the
search of culture invariants. On the basis of his own conception Me author
provides a falsification of theory of V. Propp, which asserts, that the
structure of a fairy-tale is formed by transformation of functions of
fairy-tale characters into semantic units and that a fairy-tale is the
reflection of reality, first of all - the initiation ceremony.
This falsification
is due to acceptance of such base concepts, which are in conflict with it. The
falsification of consequences of the theory, which has been conducted, defined
falsification of all theoretical system, where these consequences had been
taken from (modus tollens). Its falsification has been also proved by the fact
that this work managed not only to open "reproduction effect", but
also to set up and prove the empiric hypothesis of low level of universality,
which describes this effect (K. Popper).
This empiric
falsifying hypothesis confirms that any empiric culture text in a specific form
through the historically preconditioned concepts reproduce a base universal
cultural formula "death -immortality".
The universal
utterances of metaphysical, philosophical worldview appear on its basis. The
critical review of V. Propp's conception showed that in the reconstruction of a
fairy-tale structure he stopped on the superficial, second-rate level of
elements of its structure.
On the basis
of this falsification in this monograph the author puts forward his own
conception not only of the description, but also of explanation the source of
structuring of cultural discourses. The factors, which determine the structure
of culture texts, are base existential options of human being.
These options
as a result reproduce such a world of signs and meanings, which are identical
in any culture. Because of it the humanity is united and indivisible not only
in an anthropological, but also in cultural and historical aspect. People of
different cultures differ one from another not in what they do exactly, but in
how they do it.
TOPICS
1. Philosophical and methodological basis of the Weltanschauung
Categories of Ultimate Bases researching
The main
factors that determine the failures of applied structuralism, the study of
folklore or ethnopoetry in the search of invariants of the texts of culture are
their inability to find an adequate methodological ensuring for solving its
applied problems, admission of the secondary epiphenomenal structures of the texts
as the subject of investigation, ignoring the philosophical and Weltanschauung-ideological
approach in the structurally-typological investigations of culture. In the
research there is shown a positive effectiveness of implementation of the
results of scientific investigations of Kуivan School of Philosophy in the
process of detection of culture invariants (or culture universalias) that focused
on the problem of human relation to the world. A foundation is given to the
author’s conception of interpretation of Weltanschauung (worldview) Categories of Ultimate Bases as the genuine
invariants of culture (Culture Universalias). There is offered a hypothesis
that one notional invariant – Categories of Ultimate Bases is at the heart of
all the system of cultural texts (discourses).
World is the world
of a person, a projection of human senses to an objective reality. Therefore
the major meanings of the world, in
spite of their apparent objectivity, are inherently anthropomorphous. Objective
parameters of the world in their universal meanings fix categories of
philosophy. But, being forms
of thinking, they simultaneously act as total forms of worldview. In this function they
serve as a concrete
definition of
the Categories of Ultimate Bases. This proceeds from the fact that in conceptually-philosophical
models of the
world the Philosophic Categories are Weltanschauung and theoretical generalizations
of the Categories of Ultimate Bases.
Since the
world in its intrinsic definitions depends on a
person, for the profound comprehension of the world it becomes obviously
necessary to solve the problem of human essence. To put it otherwise, defining
the world as projection of humanly significant senses on an objective reality
places the emphasis on the very person. Hence in the research there were
considered the typological approximations to a person. The first of them gives
the person the naturalistic and essential definitions. Usually the essence of a
person is defined by the list of the most significant indications, as it is considered, or by leading the concept person
under a wider concept (an animal, a being) with its further
concretization. Nevertheless, if to recognize, that any of the mentioned intrinsic
features of a person is not characteristic for a concrete individual, it unambiguously
leads to a conclusion, that the person, who is deprived even of these essential
features, actually is not a person. Therefore, the definition of the person as an
active animal making the tools of labour, a moral creature,
and a being that has religion or a biped animal without
feathers etc. cannot be considered satisfactory as there are legless invalids, people who made a
vital principle of idleness, people frankly immoral or atheists.
The second approach, axiomatic, rests on the basic
vital intentions of a person. From the given data it is possible to draw the
following conclusions. To axiomatic definitions of the person against which it
is hardly possible to object owing to their evidence, refer the following: 1) the
person is a living creature; 2) the fundamental inclination of the person as a
living being is an aspiration for a survival which can be named as an instinct
of self-preservation; 3) as any other living being a person possesses all basic
vital functions called to provide realization of beforementioned fundamental
inclination - nutritive, reproductive, aggressive and informational functions;
4) as well as everything in the world, the person is not eternal, he is a
mortal being; 5) unlike other living beings the person is a unique creature in
the world that understands his own individual finiteness and considers this
phenomenon as a subject of a special personal Weltanschauung reflection.
The third approach which gives polar mortally-immortal
definitions of the person, has the certain bases in the real facts of absence
of precise borders between life and death in their ontological displays that
was especially brightly showed in the widespread self-name of people as beings
of the mortal nature (Engl. „man” – ‘mort’, Lаt. „homo” – ‘humus’, old-Irish
„duine” – ‘mortal’).
Real means for the person to exceed his individual finiteness is socially
caused going out of his own, naturally determined limits. Through that the transcendentation
in the world appears as intrinsic feature of the person. Active overcoming
by the person the natural limits of his own existence leads to creation of the
"second", "humanized" nature, which becomes his „inorganic body”.
Reification, objectification, incarnation, transformation - all these concepts
express one and the same process – the process of overstepping by the person in
his qualitative intrinsic definition the naturally determined limits.
Let's recede a step back and start searching for the essence of the
person “from a blank sheet”, basing upon "axiomatic" postulates, that
is, such which are obvious. And it is unconditionally obvious that the person
is a living being. So, the certain functions directed to support existence are
inherent in person, as in any other living being. Specifically human
realization of these functions occurs during the process of aim relying and
detail-practical transformation of the world. Therefore an unnatural, humanized
world is formed. Each new generation coming to the world, finds a historically determined
system of past objectified intrinsic forces of the person which through disobjectification
becomes a basis for socialization of new generation.
Development of objective transformation of the world by this new
generation leads to change of the world of objectives. The next generation of
people passes socialization already under the influence of the changed objective
senses of the cultivated world of people and so everything sinusoidally repeats
at a later time.
This process which I name after Hegel and Marx through-self-life
of the person is antithetic, regarding the substantial approach to his essence.
The essence of the person is formed on the basis of above outlined mechanism
and consequently is rather functional than substantial. Reasoning from premises
it is possible to make a conclusion that the essence of the person as a social
being is defined by those factors that are its own product. For this reason,
the person in a certain sense is the creator of herself.
As long as the object of the research alongside with the world and the
person is the culture, on the basis of the offered
approach there is given a separate definition to it. It is
offered to understand Culture as the form and process of specific
transformation of the natural source to the human one, the main point of that
is "cultivation” of human in the person, that simultaneously transforms culture
to means of life-support.
Being a living creature, the person requires satisfaction of some needs to
support the existence; these needs are caused by peculiarities of his corporal
organization, inherited from his evolutionary ancestors. All of them to some
extent can be lead to one fundamental inclination peculiar to every living
being - to aspiration for self-preservation, for continuation of life. All
other basic functions of an organism are subordinate to it. This human aspiration
(inclination), being socialized, gets essentially different, than in the animal
kingdom, forms of realization.
Transformed in culture and presented at different levels of world
attitude, the basic functions and fundamental aim at life supporting form a
part of worldview consciousness (as the forms of world attitude) and act as its
steady components, in a certain sense - constants. Worldview as an ideal constituent
of world attitude and the form of the person’s self-knowing includes these
constants, and within their limits they become “Universalias of culture”.
The person always vitally comprehended and sharply experienced the
finiteness, frailty. In the myths, religion, folklore, literature, philosophy
and other forms of spiritual perception of reality the Weltanschauung universalias
corresponding to the given type of public consciousness are recreated, among them
the categories of ultimate bases, the existence of the person in the world are
central, namely - birth, life, death and immortality. Consequently the attitude of the
person to the world is first of all the attitude of a finite being (that declines
to his own completion).
Because of stated, in the work there is elaborated a language of
description and the analysis of culture Universalias, as well as regulations
specifying it. Semantic and lexical units of this language are the
categories of ultimate bases, the codes of the worldview and the basic world
outlook formula.
By Categories of Ultimate Bases (CUB) I understand the
constitutive, structural components of worldview connected with socialization
and improvement of fundamental bases of existence of the person in the world in
context of his
finitary
temporality. CUB in their worldview aspect are not only objective forms of existence
of the person in the world (ontology of CUB), but also means of understanding
of this phenomenon (worldview and philosophical aspect of CUB).
Reasoning from the use of the term “categories of ultimate bases” which
is available in the literature one can draw the following conclusion. If
categories of philosophy are the general forms of activity, and activity, in
some authors’ opinion (V. Zviglyanich, M. Parniuk), is the ultimate basis of
human existence in the world, it becomes clear that these categories
simultaneously act as the general elements of the ultimate bases of existence of
the person in the world.
If we accept the fact, that categories are a certain generalization of
activity, then the following step will consist in recognition of that this
activity occurs with the purpose of realization of the basic cultural-universal
formula of support and continuation of life. The Categories, consequently, represent
some invariant moments not only of activity as a pure process, but also
of the activity that consists of the person’s aspiration for consolidation of
the existence, supporting of life and overcoming of his own finiteness.
As long as the person achieves the realization of the basic world outlook
formula by means of functions that are peculiar to all living beings but are
transformed in culture such as the nutritive and reproductive functions, the
function of aggression and defence, and the function of transfer of experience,
then, according to the above-listed functions that form a part of culture, they
can be defined as alimentary, erotic, aggressive and informative
codes of worldview.
The given language is defined more exactly by the following theses. Attitudes
of the person to the world represent a multivariate phenomenon, therefore the processes
of transformation of natural displays of life to specifically human existence in
the world are realized in different forms, depending on a level of the relation
“the person - the world”. In my opinion, the main of them are the
objectively-practical, ritually-ceremonial, practically-spiritual and spiritually-theoretical
levels of world attitude.
Along with that, at all these levels one can see the basic vital impulse
transformed to cultural forms which is expressed in the leitmotif of culture,
in the basic cultural-world outlook formula „Generation and consolidation of
life, the denying of death, aspiration for immortality”. In the habitués
changed in limits of culture these categories act as the genitive,
vital, mortal and immortal categories of ultimate
bases.
A complex interaction (mixing or contamination) is possible both between
the CUB and the codes. They also can get strong and weak
forms of representation of type: death > disappearance> exile >
removal> leaving (the mortal CUB); birth > appearance > arrival >
approach (the genitive CUB); defeat > blow > a swear word (an aggressive
code in contamination in the latter case with an informational code); love >
a love inclination > friendship > sympathy (an erotic code), etc.
These natural inclinations undergo the certain changes in the system of
culture. Simultaneously to cultivation, growing of
the natural source in culture its transformation (reorganization) also
takes place, that can be accompanied by the leading of natural instincts to the
certain course, channel (canalize). They can be also suppressed
and forbidden (tabooed).
The world relations of the person are carried out in categorically
ultimate forms. Therefore the available "aspects" of consideration of
categories, such as ontological, logical, epistemological, functional, socio-historical
and Weltanschauung-ideological (where the matter concerns their functioning in
different forms of outlook) should be enlarged also by universally-cultural
aspect. In fact along with all mentioned above, categories of philosophy have
also such contents, and, accordingly, such function that are connected with characterization
of the world on the basis of categories of ultimate bases extremely generalized
in a philosophical reflection.
Taking that into account philosophical categories appear also as a way of
understanding by the person of his life at such level of generalization when antithetic
categories, for instance, existence and nothing, finite and infinite, acceptance
and denying, etc. appear as the form of a concrete definition of a global Weltanschauung
(World-outlook) antithesis of life and death.
As long as categories of philosophy appear as total forms of world
attitude in its vitally significant parameters, that is, as philosophical-reflective
expression of CUB, then all functions and features belonging to them are also inherent
in the world outlook categories of ultimate bases. CUB in this case also
represent universal, categorical definitions of the world, the person and his
attitude to it during the realization of concrete historical types of world
attitude in its cultural displays.
The universally-cultural aspect of philosophical categories reveals
itself when they become means of understanding of vitally meaningful sides of
life of the person. In such sense the categories of philosophy as
generalization of CUB function in structure of forms of worldview where extremely
generalized features of human existence, as that of a finite being, are
projected on the world. On these categorical antitheses that go back to the
antithesis of life and death, the worldview pictures (including religious
views, cosmological and historical theories) are reconstituted, and the key
concepts are those of the beginning and the end.
2. Categories of Ultimate Bases
as Universalias of Culture
This part of the work deals with consideration of the transformation of
natural basic functions during the socio-cultural formation of the person, an
original interpretation is given to morphology of culture from the standpoint
of universally-cultural approach. An illustration is given to the difference
between “concepts” and “denotations” in texts of culture i.e. distinguishing between invariant
components of cultural texts and their conceptual equivalents in the
descriptive languages of the texts. On the basis of critical examination of
different approaches to culture universalias Me author shows methodological and
heuristic advantages of the concept of Categories of ultimate bases as culture
universalias.
Realization of the selected strategy of the research and application of
language of the description in the analysis of transformation of natural basic
functions during the socio-cultural progress of mankind within the limits of creation
of artificial means of their realization, reproduction in ceremonies and
rituals, understanding at a level of spiritually-practical and theoretical
consciousness has allowed to determine judgements, how the alimentary,
erotic, aggressive and informative functions
are cultivated, tabooed, canalized and in such form are represented as invariants
of the structure of cultural texts.
For instance, the entire system of reception and transfer of acquired
knowledge in scientific and educational establishments originates from
"cultivation" of the informative function, the majority of societies used
to taboo an asocial, aggressive behaviour and to canalize not normative forms
of realization of erotic function though prostitution can be cultivated in the
form of temple prostitution. The last function can also get the cultivated
display in sexual elements, and not only in wedding ceremonies, but also
funeral and calendar ones. There are religions where sexual function gets
attributes of a cult, and it is shown not only in the East, but in Christianity
(nunnery as a brides of Christ).
On the whole, it is a question of radical transformation of natural
inclinations to especially human forms of behaviour, and by no means positive,
when the person, always acting either worse, or better, as compared with an
animal, but never being equal to it, is capable both of disgustingly low
behaviour, and of unprecedented rises of the spirit.
Basic functions in process of their development have got an institutionalized
form, having formed the certain kinds of cultural forms. In other words, socialized
functions, becoming institutes, "stand stock-still" in the certain
forms.
At a level of physical existence of the person the formation
of corporal culture takes place. The ability to render a
qualified medical assistance also refers to cultural attributes of one or
another society, that allows to speak about culture of health. In other
words, maintenance of normal vital functions of the body with the help of
special means, methods and substances, and also by means of sanitary
arrangements leads to formation of medical culture. The
physical training is directed towards an artificial development of natural
opportunities of body, that in its extreme way becomes a kind of
sports culture, bodybuilding and a cult of body in a modern mass
culture.
At the objectively-practical level the alimentary
function in its wide sense in the process of its humanization has generated a powerful
layer of the cultivated objectivity which is united by the general name of
material culture. Artificial transformation of nature generates specific
forms of a technical culture.
Therefore scientists use the terms agriculture, speak about
hunting, fishing, craft, industrial and other cultures. The certain types of
cultures undergo even more detailed classification. For instance, if the matter
concerns pottery then by separate characteristics of pottery it is easy to identify
some old cultures in general.
Objectively-practical transformation of the nature generates specific forms
of functionally subordinated to each other relations between people, or
industrial culture which at a level of direct labour operations finds
display in manufacturing culture or a standard of work. These
types of culture provide not only technological equipment of work (corresponding
to a level of development of productive capacity) and skilfulness of workers,
but also a high level of technical and organizational supplying of this
process. Here the matter concerns technological and technical and
organizational culture. But one can hardly imagine modern manufacture
without an appropriate financial and economic supply, management and organizing.
Therefore there appear such spheres of cultural regulation of human
activity that are covered by the concept of economic and
administrative culture, the cultures of management in
general. Obligatory features of a modern expert are also a high standard of
business, business etiquette, etc.
Development of basic function of continuation of clan at a level of
objective-practical world relation generates a system of cultural types which
arise on the basis of cognate relations and relations in family as in a social
institute. This universal cultural phenomenon corresponds with culture of
family relations. Human communities which originate owing to realization of
two mentioned functions of the person, also give separate cultural forms.
According to this it is possible to speak about culture of international
relations, and in a wider sense, paying attention to authoritative functions
of the state, about political culture. Normative cultural
regulation of property, authoritative, industrial, cognate and other relations
leads to formation of legal culture.
The ritually-ceremonial level transforms the vital functions
of the person to one cultural type, the contents of which makes a subject of
studying for special cultural schools. As any living being has no rituals and
ceremonies, it is possible to speak about them as a specific human way of
development of the world within the limits of special, ritually-ceremonial
culture. Briefly speaking, in ceremonies of sacrifice we see realization of contaminative
aggressive and alimentary functions, in the rituals accompanying an
establishment of conjugal relations – of the reproductive function etc.
The practically-spiritual level causes the occurrence of such
cultural forms which are united in a class of spiritual culture
in general. To its main types we refer myth, religion, folklore, art,
literature and morality. This level generates the objective world of
consciousness of the person which is often identified with culture in general. Therefore
one of forms of the spiritually-practical relation of the person to the world,
religion, is understood first of all as a cult.
The spiritually-theoretical level is also covered by the general
concept of spiritual culture, but unlike the previous type of spiritual
understanding of the world, here it is mainly deprived of its
emotionally-sensual colouring. Here the "pure" cognitive process is
subjected to cultivation; the culture of scientific research is formed.
Alongside of it the system of specially created means of transfer of
socially meaningful information to the new generations is formed. Within the
limits of culture of school and university education, a wider
system of means and methods of transfer of information to children and adults
with their simultaneous education - pedagogical culture - got its
development.
The humankind paid not less attention to creation of cultural means of
preservation of the information, cultivating writing, publishing, keeping a
source of the information (libraries, museums, archives, etc.). Owing to this,
the culture of writing qualitatively differs from cultures of illiterate
people. Specific means of distribution, reception and transfer of information
in language culture and culture of thinking are closely
connected with these kinds of cultural forms.
There is no doubt that the mentioned cultural forms do not exhaust all the richness of culture. However,
it has not been taken for the purpose here to give the full nomenclature of
cultural types.
It was important to outline only the general principle of understanding
of cultural formations as derivatives of their general source - existence of
the person in the world, directed towards creation of artificial, cultivated
conditions for "organization" of a human life as a whole.
Thus, on the basis of the universal-cultural approach to the morphology
of culture in the work there was shown, how all variety of cultural forms can
be led to the uniform basis when people differ one from another not by
what they do in cultural sphere, but by how they do it. Therefore,
it enables to establish not only anthropological, but also cultural unity of humankind.
That is, cultural unity of mankind is determined by identity of
functional assortment of cultural and creative activity of the person as a patrimonial
being, and divergence between cultures arises owing to involving different
systems of objectivation into the realization of these functions.
These moments should be considered when defining the CUB-structure of culture
texts.
Understanding of the importance of a problem of finding invariants of
culture has made the search for culture universalias one of leading themes of modern
philosophic-cultural researches. In the wide sense this concept has a
widespread application though in the majority of works the approach to them has
especially descriptive and declarative character which is shown in simple
ascertaining that universalias are present in culture or in ascription to culture
universalias a wide range of phenomena, in consequence of that these works are
unproductive for my research.
Therefore, it is necessary to accept that the development of the problem
of culture universalias cannot be considered satisfactory.
Categories of ultimate bases, on the one hand, are the subject of investigation
and on the other - they exist as means of knowledge of the required invariants
of cultural texts.
Consequently, we offer the methodological principle, which
suggests to distinguish universal invariant constituents of the textual structures
in the text itself („denotate”), and in notions („concepts”) by means of which
these invariants are fixed and comprehended.
When the researchers (Heleasar Meletinsky and others) specify, that the
fairy tale is structured within the limits of a destructive code, and Algirdas
Greimas speaks about a gastronomic code of culture it is clear, that in
the „languages of the description” they implicitly used such „concepts” which correspond
to aggressive and alimentary world outlook codes.
It is necessary to distinguish also the forms of representation of the ultimate
bases of human existence in the world at different levels of world relation and
corresponding sciences with the specific conceptual apparatus, which have as
the subject of investigation this concrete level.
For example, ontology of death is studied by thanatological branch of medicine
and the ritually-ceremonial level of its representation in funeral
ceremonialism – by ethnography. Accordingly, the „conceptual” description of one
and the same boundary human situation in these branches of knowledge will be different.
In the work it is also proved, that existing substantial approaches to culture
universalias eventually originate from the categories of ultimate bases and
worldview codes.
And so, my viewpoint, when universalias of cultures are understood as categories
of ultimate bases and codes, has its obvious essential advantages as it reveals
the deep invariant elements of structure of culture texts, consequently all
available points of view on cultural universalias seem only as a particular,
specifically conceptually issued variant of my approach.
So, in the approach offered by Theodore Oyzerman, it is easy to see a wider
CUB-structure. Such distinguished by him universalia of culture as labour
is the basic form of supporting existence with the purpose of reception of
substance and energy from an outer world (the alimentary code in its
wide meaning).
The reverse influence of nature changed in the course of practice upon
the person and conditions of his life has determined the origin of an
ecological problematic, which is also considered by this author as a
cultural universalia.
Reproductive function in its emotional-evaluative variant is presented by
this researcher in universalias of matrimonial relations and respect
for motherhood. Hospitality and peaceful co-existence of people
as universalias of culture (according to Theodore Oyzerman) can be led under a wider
CUB-base, namely – under an aggressive code in its tabooed manifestation.
At the same time the universalias „boldness and courage” as well
as „war" give us the cultivated aggressive code. In
the certain degree the same code in the same expression is visible in the first
part of Oyzerman universalia „self-control in the face of death”. Courage
here has obvious indications of force, strength of mind, and it is nothing
else but one of conceptual expressions of aggressive code. At the
same time, courage is directed against death, that is against denying of life.
Therefore, in this case on the basis of the given universalia one can
notice also an intentially presented immortal category. Similar result in
detection of the deep CUB-contents has been received during the analysis of
other works on this theme (Bronislav Malinovsky, George Murdock, John Passmor, etc.).
3. Investigation of profound
invariant of the structure of a fairy tale as the applied version of search for
universalias in texts of culture
The chapter begins with consideration of conceptualization of
structurally-formal studying of a fairy tale by Roman Volkov. Thus I regarded the
searches for the inner invariant of the structure of a fairy tale as the
applied version of revealing universalias in texts of culture. Then the
approach to structure of a fairy tale of Vladimir Propp is examined. In the chapter CUB-aspects of the
reconstruction of „historical
roots of a magic fairy tale” by V. Propp is stated also.
The analysis of the work of Roman Volkov (Волков Р. М. Сказка. Разыскания
по сюжетосложению народной сказки. – Одесса: Гос. изд-во Украины, 1924) has shown, that he possesses
a priority in undertaking of structurally-formal studying of a fairy tale. This
is true because it was he who carried out for the first time the classification
of a separate type of fairy tales (where the characters are unjustly expelled)
and through formalization proved that in each of its versions there is present a
constant invariant.
At the same time, he implicitly used categories of ultimate bases and
codes as the language of the description (the formalized elements of fairy tale
structure). Categories of ultimate bases and codes made also an inner invariant
of fairy tales contents, which underwent formalization.
For instance, the aggressive world outlook code is at the
heart of the type of the selected for the analysis fairy tales about guiltlessly
persecuted. Persecution as the hostile aggressive act provides presence
of the one who persecutes, and the one who is persecuted. At the same time
persecution as the dynamic motive plays the role of the leading moment of development
of all narration. In the given type of fairy tales he actualizes the basic formula
„life - death (threat of a life) – immortality (removal of the threat)”.
The main feature of Vladimir Propp approach consisted in recognition as elements
of structure of a fairy tale of those semantic units which were formed on the
basis of functions of the characters. There can be many characters, but the
number of functions is finite. In each fairy tale it is possible to distinguish
these identical functions.
Therefore, externally different fairy
tales as a matter of fact, according to V. Propp, are identical. Such point of
view has got all attributes of a research paradigm, having set for the long
years the general direction of research of not only the fairy tale invariants,
but also of other narrative texts. Simultaneously the real fairy tale structure
nevertheless was showed to some extent in the language of description of a
fairy tale offered by him.
Later this fact was objectively examined in my work, as a result we
discovered that for the conceptual forms of V.Propp’s “language of description”
of the fairy tale structure there stand CUB and corresponding codes.
The same result has been received at the analysis of works on the
structure of a fairy tale by the followers of V. Propp within the limits of his
paradigmatic functional approach.
The solution by V. Propp of his own research problems was embodied in
four postulates:
1) the functions of characters are the constant elements of a fairy tale;
2) a number of the functions of a magic fairy tale is limited; 3) the sequence
of functions is always invariable; 4) all magic fairy tales are of the same
type according to the structure. It has enabled to draw a conclusion, that morphologically
all fairy tales can be originated from one fairy tale on abduction of tsarevnas
(princesses) by the Dragon and their rescue by the
hero (Аф131).
The analysis of the „ language of the description” (of functions of
characters both in their formal record, and in substantial displays), offered
by V. Propp, shows, that these functions have a precise universally-cultural distinctness.
In the "basic" fairy tale the matter actually concerns how, feeling a
fatal threat, the heroine or heroines eventually are rescued.
That is, an authentic invariant of this fairy tale (according to V. Propp,
all the others are reduced to it), is one of the versions of the basic world
outlook formula „life - threat of life – rescue”. On the basis of the material
stated by V. Propp there is shown a universally-cultural isomorphism of a fairy
tale and “reality”. At the same time here it has been paid attention to
problematic character of explanations of genesis and transformation of texts as
representations of "reality".
For intensification of my position I have brought examples of criticism
of this postulate of V. Propp "from within", from the point of view
of specialists in folklore and narratologists. They warned against carrying out
of erroneous unequivocal correspondence between a fairy tale and ceremonies,
and also a widely understood "reality" (Albert Bajburin, Alexander
Reshetov, Peter Bogatyryov especially – Богатырев П. Г. Магические действия, обряды и верования Закарпатья / Богатырев
П. Г. Вопросы теории народного искусства. – М., 1971; reissue of: Actes magiques rites et
croyances en Russie Subcarpathique. – Pr., 1929).
Addressing to „historical
roots” of fairy tale "morphology",
V. Propp began to understand a fairy tale as a certain secondary, derivative
structure, as reflection of another, out-fabulous "reality". He
regarded it first of all as the cycle of initiation (a ceremony of ordaining)
and, in less degree, as a cycle of idea of death.
I have critically reviewed the works of followers of V. Propp who aimed
"to improve" his conception (Vadim Baevsky, Neonila Krinichnaya,
Natalia Hobzej, Nikolay Kisljakov, Rachel Lipets, and others) and have come to
conclusion, that many of them had the same methodological difficulties, as V.
Propp. They were connected first of all with an establishment of a real
historical and genetic correlation of a ceremony, an epos or a fairy tale with
"reality", and also with verification of both the procedures of
reconstruction, and the achieved results.
Especially vulnerable
for criticism there were conclusions of Heleasar Meletinsky (Мелетинский Е. М. Герой волшебной
сказки: происхождение образа. – М., 1958) who tried to find the original sources
of an image of a character of a magic fairy tale in “the social reality”. He
considered them as a usual right (common law) of “minorat” when all
parental property passed to the younger son.
But, contradicting to himself, H. Meletinsky considered also in an
absolutely non-corresponding to this right oppression of the younger brother by
the elder brothers the sources of an image of the poor character. If the “minorat”
underlies the fairy tales where there appears a deprived character, then in
particular the elder brothers who were disinherited of any property, should
appear as destitute characters.
In the book it has been found out, that the deep underlying causes of
structure of a fairy tale are CUB and codes in their formula sheaf. As
consequence of this during the research there has emerged a problem whether the
CUB-structure of a fairy tale is an adequate representation of a universal-cultural
structure of "reality" of a ceremony, or, probably, both the fairy
tale and the ceremony have such structures independently from each other?
And if it will be ascertained, that secondariness of structure of a fairy
tale relatively to the structure of the reality is doubtful, there arises one
more problem – what is exactly defined by the formation of the fairy tale
structure (or form as the way of organization of its contents)? For this reason, there was the necessity for critical
viewing of V. Propp’s paradigm from viewpoint and on the basis of philosophic
and worldview approach. On its basis there opens the prospect of making a correct
methodological base of all theoretical generalizations of applied folklore and
ethnographic researches.
Only in that case we shall receive an adequate knowledge of a real
structure of the texts of culture and find out the reasons of such
structurization of them. In other words, there opens the opportunity to change the
descriptive method of research to an explanatory one.
However, to make the new concept of invariants of the structure of culture
texts productively working, it is necessary to show mistakes and weaknesses of
existing approaches. Preliminary step in this direction became revealing of
internal contradictions and discrepancy in the concept of V. Propp that has
served as the precondition of its falsification (according to Charles Popper's
theory).
4. An explication of internal
contradictions of the theory of V. Propp as a precondition of its falsification
The chapter begins with a critical verification of the concept of
structurally functional morphology of a fairy tale according to V. Propp. It is
carried out by revealing problematical character of formation of semantic units
of a fairy tale on the basis of functions of actants. It is shown also, that
the way out of the impasse of applied structuralism within the confines of an
antithesis "element-structure" is possible based on a wide philosophic
and world outlook approach only.
Questions which arise here first of all, consist in that, how much
successfully V. Propp was able to reconstruct its real structure in formal
language of the description of a fairy tale. One of disadvantages of his
formalization is ignoring of the circumstance, that the fairy tale, except of
actions of its characters includes in the structure their states,
non-realized desires, aspirations, etc., and also various consequences
of these actions, and this just has not fallen under procedures of
formalization.
Besides, there remain some non-examined processes and phenomena
which can depend on functions of the characters, and can remain only as
conditions of their activity.
In spite of an
over-formalized language of the description, V. Propp simply ignores in
"inconvenient" cases some functions of some characters.
So, in case of
when such character as the father, has sexual interest to his daughter
(shocking though a widespread function in fairy tales), we should have a semantic
unit as „daughterfucker”. Also there were not formalized such characters who
during a fabulous narration considerably change their functions. That leads to
their declaration as "mysterious" and causes those additional, but
unpersuasive explanations that are offered by V. Propp.
But when trying
to add the opposite definitions to them, it makes them semantically different units
of a fairy tale (a "grantor" acts simultaneously as a "wrecker")
that "breaks" the idea of V. Propp from within. To other essential imperfections
of V. Propp’s concept we should add also leaving without explanation of
incomplete application of a theoretical part of his concept in his own works. Actually,
from all of the more than three tens functions distinguished by V. Propp only a
little of them was entered into the basic scheme (б1е1А1В4С↑П4Л5↑)
of the
main fairy tale № 131 (from collected stories by A. Afanas’ev).
Thus, it is necessary to ascertain, that the idea offered by V. Propp
that a fairy tale invariant consists of permanent functions which number is
invariable, and the sequence is constant, gives essential failures, because, firstly,
quite not all the functions of actants of a fairy tale form those steady semantic
units which allegedly are constant elements of a fairy tale structure.
Secondly, he has not solved the problem not only of correlation of the
opposite functions inherent in one actant during the change in time of a pole
of its action, but also could not formalize these features of a fairy tale,
owing to that an allegedly steady semantic unit becomes blurred (according to
V. Propp, this semantic unity is an atomic basic fairy tale element). All this
testifies to an internal inconsistency of the theory of V. Propp, establishment
of this fact is an important step to revealing of its falsity (falsification).
The heart of the problem "a structure – an element", formulated with
reference to studying of a fairy tale, looks like a question, whether the
structure (a plot or motive) sets the functions of elements (characters), or,
on the contrary, the functions of characters build a plot? If functions of
actants are constant, then exactly these characters, being involved in a fabulous
narration „at a right time and in the right place”, will determine its
structure. But if these actants are really rigidly defined in their functions,
then it is difficult to imagine a fairy tale where the Little Red Riding Hood
catches the Wolf in the forest of and eats him up.
At the same time, there are many fabulous and folklore actants which
functions are not definitely set. Thus, say, the Wood-goblin can frighten
people, steal children and so on, but he also helps to pasture the cattle, kindly lulls the
child forgotten by a mother. What structure then will be set to a fairy tale by
this ambivalent character?
One of the ways of decision of the denoted problem
"structure-element" consists in admission that, according to the
principle “the structure determines the function of elements”, not the actant
builds the structure, but the structure, in cases when the actant has taken the
certain place in it, "compulsorily" sets corresponding functions to
an actant.
At first sight, it seems so. Nevertheless, the matter is that the basic
invariant fairy tale structure does not exist in pure form, just as it is. Similarly,
to an archetype, it demonstrates itself only through an objective material, but
is not reduced to it.
In turn, a part of a concrete material of a fairy tale, in particular,
some objectively-figurative embodiments of actants, owing to their steady
fixing at the certain basic elements of fairy tale structure or at its typical
episodes, become similar to clichés. Owing to this circumstance, the
given embodiments of typical functions in the certain characters show
resistance to their artificial inclusion in such cells of structure where the
not inherent functions will be imposed to them. Nevertheless if they are still forced
"to enter" the "place" in the structure not inherent in
them, determined by a functional role alien to them, then this character starts
to look as something distorted or mockly-ridiculous.
It is exactly those cases when the stepmother will love the stepdaughter
more, than her own daughter or when the peaceful Wolf will suffer from the
Little Red Riding Hood, and Tsarevitch will fall in love with the She-Dragon.
It is interesting, that similar experimentation with functions of fabulous
characters was carried out by a famous Italian children's storyteller J. Rodari
who in „topsy-turvy fairy tales” suggested sating an invariant “bare scheme” of
fairy tales with the characters performing functions, opposite to habitual ones.
However, the „bare” scheme therefore is considered „bare”, because it does not
exist just as it is, outside of its concrete personifications. Characters
through their actions should "open" this "scheme"
(structure). But then on this basis it is possible to draw an opposite conclusion
that it is exactly "structure" that sets meanings (functions) to the "elements",
rather than conversely. What is the true answer?
Here we have approached to the main point of the problem. It consists in
what represents and by what is determined the „bare scheme” mentioned above, which retains in
all possible though extravagant embodiments. It is necessary to accept, that
only the account of that circumstance, that a deeper universal-cultural
worldview context acts as an invariant basis of fairy tales, where all concretely-structural
and substantial moments are strung on idea of a survival through struggle
against death, allows breaking off a vicious circle which arises here.
Then in the work there is given explication to negative singular consequences
of the theory of V. Propp about an origin of structure of a fairy tale from a
ceremony. It is carried out through demonstration of discrepancy between a key
postulate of the concept of V. Propp – „the structure of a fairy tale is
determined by the structure of an (initial) ceremony” and the contents of his research.
There is also used a method of „back (reversal) reconstruction” by means of
transformation of the relation „a ceremony – a fairy tale” to „a fairy tale – a
ceremony”, that leads to paradoxes and obviously absurd hypothetical
situations.
Thus, the motive “chopped and poisoned” is explained by V. Propp by means
of the contents of an initial ceremony. In the course of time a real murder,
which is nonsense in itself, as an initiant should pass a ceremony of initiation,
instead of fall a victim in sacrifice, was replaced, according to V. Propp by
cutting off a finger. But then all masculine population of archaic communities
should be entirely adactylous, and it is not so.
Similar discrepancies arise in cases of explanation of ritual defloration
of women who have already given birth and in other similar absurd statements
which testify that such illogical result of research cannot be considered
satisfactory in any way.
Some other weaknesses are inherent in explanations by V. Propp concerning
the sources of fairy tale structure, that are able to testify their incorrectness.
Thus, he, in spite of a many times declared position that the structure of a
fairy tale is determined by the initial, and also, partially, by other
ceremonies, was never able to stay in limits of this key postulate.
Actually he pass to another level of "reality" connected not
only with initial, but also funeral, wedding and
calendar ceremonial and with beliefs which accompany them, including
the developed forms of myth and religion, with cult of
ancestors and totemistic cults. When explaining the origin of
motives and episodes of a fairy tale he uses separate details of other
ceremonies, in particular, sacrifices and becoming related,
adding to them national believes, and even imaginations, dreams
and, an absolutely extreme case, the ability of people to forget. He
also bases on data about customs, a common law and life,
referring to such social phenomena, as transition from polygamy to monogamy,
struggle for authority, on industrial activity.
Taking into account an obvious discrepancy of the structure of a fairy
tale reconstructed by V. Propp and an unsatisfactory explanation of its “historical
roots” we put forward a deductive hypothesis of a low level of universality of an
universal-cultural structure of fairy tales and we find its empiric
confirmation using a fairy tale material from examples of Antti Aarne, Steve
Thompson, Roman Volkov, Vladimir Propp etc.
5. Falsification of the theory of V. Propp by
means of increasing a level of universality of a deductive hypothesis about a
universal-cultural structure of culture texts
In this chapter the purpose of research, which is defined in the name of
the book, is realized by means of enlargement of empirical base of the put forward
hypothesis with attraction of a wide file of texts of culture. First of all it
is ascertained here, that all fairy tale material can be easily analyzed using
such procedure when a universal-cultural contents is revealed in it. On this basis,
it is offered to consider, that basic statements of V. Propp concerning the structure
of a fairy tale text are incorrect as a matter of fact. Actually, the fairy
tale has in its basis that deep invariant which is recreated from a combination
of categories of ultimate bases and world outlook codes. But earlier this
statement referred only to a fairy tale and consequently a hypothesis
concerning the CUB-structure of the texts the culture had a low level of
universality.
My further step was enlargement of the research field by means of distribution
of the offered hypothesis on other texts of culture, so that on the basis of an
objective (empirical) material of ceremonies, mythology, religion and literary
and art consciousness to show their is universal-cultural structuredness.
Thus, the level of universality of the mentioned hypothesis has increased,
owing to that it became possible to falsify the theory of V. Propp not only at
a level of consequences or singular statements, but also at a level of its basic
theses.
And really, the reference to a ceremonial material has shown, that both
calendar ceremonies, and ceremonies of life cycle have a full CUB-structuredness
in all known codes, in spite of what real was semeiotic in them. In other
words, New Year's holidays, Pancake week (Carnival), Midsummer Night,
ceremonies of a birth, wedding and funeral ceremonies have in their basis a
triad „life – death – revival”.
In New Year's ceremonies (originally – spring ceremonies) it is shown, in
particular, in their typological identity with funeral repast (twelve dishes, boiled
rice with raising and honey, prohibition to sleep, a table-cloth which is
prepared for funeral, candles, etc.) and also arrival of the died ancestors (carols
with weird attributes) which should help the forces of life in the coming year.
In spring ceremonies it is embodied in a duel of forces of death and
forces of life (fisticuffs), in trains-catafalques which bury winter, in swinging-copulations
of youth on the hills.
In summer ceremonies the matter concerns dying and revival of a deity (Yarylo,
Chіurylo, Mara, Marena, Madder), a sexual freedom of participants of a
ceremony is allowed, and they, being joined in pairs, render a divine married
couple of Adonis and Aphrodite (at us – Ivan and Mary) with a derived institute
of nepotism with the allowed in its limits sexual relations between godfather and
godmother, canalized later on Midsummer Day, and nepotism on graves and during
christening.
The perinatal ceremonies, called to remove a threat of death from the
newborn child, get paradoxical features of courting death upon the child and
its symbolical burial in limits of dialectic understanding of dying as a
guarantee of revival. A well-known lullaby „Do not sleep on the edge...”
has such continuation „Lullaby, lullaby, at once if you die, tomorrow mother’ll
have a kissel and pancakes, this is your funeral repast … ”. In such a way the
death was removed from a baby allocated: it will come, and there is already
nobody to take away.
The ceremony of a social birth (initiation) in general has as semantic centre
the idea of dying of an adolescent in the old status and revival in a new,
adult status, through imitation of staying in „the world beyond”.
In wedding ceremonialism the towel, stepping over of which symbolizes passing
the Styx, the „weirdness” of newly-weds (a prohibition of touching them and
their movement as the dead, against the sun), identifications of getting
married with dying (crying-lamentation), a veil of the bride as a muslin which covers
the face of the deceased, etc. all these factors clearly indicate a
mortally-immortal basis of all this ceremony.
And again, as well as in a New Year's holiday, there appear the died
ancestors as only from their sanction the birth of a new member of a clan-tribe
was allowed. At first it was shown in the form of a cult, when the bride
copulated with a totem animal (a goat, a horse, a bull) in a
"natural" way.
Then the right of superiority directly from a totem animal, passed to its personification, to the
chieftain-priest. As a result, the first man of the bride at marriage night,
often in presence of relatives, her mother and bridegroom, was not the bridegroom,
but friends to the bridegroom, respected people of settlement and, according to
absolutely recent ethnographic data on the Odessa area (1920th), the groomsman-boyar.
Residual echoes of this element of a wedding ceremony in a fairy tale is
cohabitation of Mary and the Bear, and in modern weddings – a ritual seating of
the newly-weds on the bear, sheep or bull skins, or, in a degenerated variant,
on a fur coat or simply on a pillow.
To the same remnants concerns steady, but already not clear euphemism of
conjugal infidelity - "to cuckold" (once the chieftain-totem, having
copulated in public with the bride, gave his cap decorated with horns, to the bridegroom,
handing him in such a way the force of ancestors). Thereby, the died ancestors
symbolically generated a new life.
The main point of funeral ceremonialism is reduced, eventually, to
marking this event as a system of actions which will provide an indispensable
revival of the deceased, the display of that is an embryonic, crooked position of
a died man in a hole-bosom or preservation of ashes in a cremation urn, in a
vessel-womb.
To this range of reproduction of the basic formula „life – death – revival”
refer also the erotic games of Europeans near the deceased, traditional strewing
him with grain-seed (by the ancient Egyptians and modern Ukrainians) which
should symbolically germinate, an Indo-Iranian ceremony of „dikshi”, reproduced
already in a tomb for those who could not lead it during lifetime because of expensiveness,
in the form of sexual poses a posteriori (dogstile) of man and woman,
(imitation of self-conception of the dead with the purpose of reincarnation),
copulation of the Kyїv combatants near a funeral fire with the widow of Duke „instead
of the husband”, a ceremonial reconstruction in 19 century by Mordvinians of
wedding during a funeral (including the ritual defloration of a died virgin by
the Jews of Volhynia so that the devil could not copulate with her and she would
not given birth to a dangerous monster) etc.
Consideration of a myth from this point of view of the universal-cultural
approach has shown that categories of ultimate bases and world outlook codes
literally penetrate through their contents. Thus, in mythological figures of
fauna – a bull and a cow, a horse, a goat, a bear, a lion, a tiger, birds,
fishes and insects, etc. the genitive, vitality and mortality, and also certain
codes make their semantic background. For example, the pigeon was
understood as allegory of a soul of the dead (immortality).
References to vegetative symbols of mythological consciousness shows,
that their dependence on seasonal cycles makes them successful analogue of
embodiment of a basic triad „life – death – revival”. The last CUB is shown here
because a drink of immortality was made exactly of plants.
If to speak about abstract mythological symbols, then the mythological
thinking was developed enough to form in its structure the abstract symbols,
having risen above an individual-sensual character of objective images. One of the
most widespread world abstract symbols was a circle which was often
concretized in illustrative images of the snake turned into a ring and others circular
things.
The circle symbolized the coincidence of the beginning and the end, of
birth and death (genitive and mortality) and,
eventually, eternity (immortality). The erotic code in a circle appeared
in its understanding as female beginning and when in its center there was a
throne settled down, a trunk, columnar or world mountain – in its unification with
male beginning.
The analysis of typological myths, mythological symbols and figures has
shown, that in astral, solar and lunar myths there is precisely presented a
genitive universalia, connected, in particular, with the description of
occurrence of the Sun and others celestial bodies.
Rather a widespread motive within the limits of erotically coded genitive
in the given type of myths was the motive of a heavenly marriage of the Sun and
the Moon and generation of children-stars from this pair. But here we also see
aggressively-mortal motives shown in constant struggle between spouses.
The basic world outlook formula „life – death – immortality” was realized
in the given myths in stories about lunar phase cycles as its birth, dying and
revival. Alimentary coding of the formula is visible in fairy tales about the
diminution of the Moon as a result of its eating up by a witch or a dog.
Studying of concrete national mythological systems, in particular,
Ukrainian one, has shown, that all CUB and codes were present in it. In the
"lowest" mythology the Mermaids (drowned women) are young, beautiful
girls who attract young men, and then lead them up to death by means of a
wearisome sexual act though sometimes marry them and even have children from
them.
In a pantheon of "high" mythology gods, for example, Svarog,
personified the current of time and its triadic structuredness that was
embodied in the motive of a star which lives, dies and revives (movement of the
Sun).
Consideration of the epic writings (Hillyads, Odysseys and Тhe
Story about Igor’s Regiment) has shown also their monosemantic
CUB-structure with that only difference when the basic universal formula „life
– death – immortality” in myths of an agrarian cycle was represented in a
narration about a deity which dies and revives, and in myths of adventurous
type - in a story about never-ending dangerous trials of the main character with
his indispensable rescue from death.
In religious consciousness, in particular, Christianity, the display of
CUB and codes was showed in a wide set of concepts, in the basis of which there
is the same world outlook base. These codes are most essentially represented in
laconic Christian definitions of God, such, as „ I am bread” (an alimentary
code), „ I am love” (an erotic code), „ I am word” (an informative
code). An aggressive code in the concentrated form is represented in
understanding of God as the victorious Force that is not dependent on the
death, though usual concepts also have here the most universal-world outlook significance
(wine, pupils,
vine,
fornication, virginity, etc.).
In the architectonics of the Bible the universal basic formula is displayed
at least three times:
A. 1) Birth (creation of the world and people); 2) life of
people in Paradise; 3) the Fall, exile from Paradise and transformation of
people into mortal beings; 4) sinful life of people; 5) punishment by flood; 4)
rescue (survival) of a part of mankind.
B. 1) Birth (Christmas) of Jesus Christ; 2) Jesus Christ's terrestrial
life; 3) the death of the Saviour on the Cross; 4) Jesus Christ's Resurrection as
the victory over forces of death.
C. 1) Sinful life of people; 2) threat of eternal death to sinful
mankind; 3) rescue of people in the Christ, revival in the Holy Spirit and getting
of a prospect of an eternal life and a victory over the enemy – death.
Even in this extremely simplified scheme we can fix the main motive of development
of the big drama of eternal struggle of Life with Death as it has been
presented in one of the forms of practically- religious ideology. Besides, the
basic formula is represented in separate episodes of the Book (revival of
Lazarus, revival of the daughter of a synagogue servant).
Revealing of a universal-cultural basis in literary consciousness and
entertainment art was realized in this work through the CUB-analysis of such writings,
as Ivan Bunin's story A Light Breath, short stories of Marguerite de Navarre
from the collection of stories The Heptameron, Anna Ahmatova's poems.
I have also analyzed short stories which Michael Bakhtin and Olga
Frejdenberg used as examples. Besides at a level of „concepts” the given type
of a discourse was examined by us on the material of a methodological
reflection on the structure of works of art by Michael Bakhtin, Lеv Vуgotsky, Yuri
Lotman and other researchers.
In the first named piece of literature the formula „life - death –
immortality” was reconstructed by Me at a level of a disposition, the key
moments of that are oppositional pairs „childhood – a tomb”, „sex
with Malyutin – murder”, „conversation on a light breath – funeral”.
In wide meaning these pairs express a global opposition of life and
death. A Light Breath – it is a figuratively designed culmination
category of universal-cultural structure of the text of this piece of
literature at the basis of which there is the CUB – immortality. Olga Meshcherskaya
after her death, as well as Snow Maiden and Mauka (The Wood Song)
"was dissolved" in the nature, but she did not totally disappear – her „light
breath” is now everywhere.
Except for a full representation in The Heptameron of the CUB and
the codes, considered by Me, in these collected stories the basic world outlook
formula also is precisely traced. The short story from examples of M. Bakhtin
is regarded by him as a narration about a victory of forces of life over forces
of death when the legionary who watched over a crucified robber, under food and
drink consoles the widow directly on the tomb of her husband, and she for this
pleasure releases from the pressure of grief and comes back to plenitude of
life. This plot tells, he writes, about a continuous chain of victories of life
over death.
The same universal-cultural structure underlies the short story of Giovanni
Boccaccio, which was investigated by Olga Frejdenberg (enamoured of the wife of
his comrade, the man rescues her, wrongly buried, and she gives birth to the
child).
In the science-fiction the motive of increasing threat of a life with the
following victory over danger of death is expressed in an unusual way.
Frequently it is the description of invasion of enemy civilizations to the
Earth, their encroachment on beautiful women, hunting of the aliens who have
come back from the future, for children who aftertime become their enemies, consuming
of people from within through penetration into their body of ugly
extraterrestrial forms of a life, destruction of a genotype of people or manipulations
with it, etc.
It is easy to see, that stereotyped schemes of science-fiction rotate
around the basic formula of world view, opening it in forms of unusual sources
of mortal danger to the person with a following victory of vital positive characters.
If we turn to novel, its universal-cultural substructure entirely entering
a triad „life – death – revival” was extremely successfully and
laconically outlined by J. Lotman. This author directly turns to consideration
of this triad in that kind of it, in which it was realized in the Russian
novel. Raskolnikov, Mitja Karamazov, and other characters of Feodor Dostoevsky
recreate Муcola Gogol's scheme from The
Dead Souls where Tchitchikov goes to Siberia (a hell, death). Having passed
a hell of Siberia, these characters "revive".
Already given short definition of specificity of the novel as a kind of a
cultural discourse shows, that in its basis there is the same
"eternal" universal-cultural scheme, which is filled with the
concrete historical contents, caused by features of cultural-world outlook ideas
of an epoch.
In my work the same scheme has been reconstructed on examples of works of
Taras Shevchenko The Princess, Lesya Ukrainka The Wood Song, in
Alexander Pushkin and Anna Ahmatova's verses, and also in plots of the tragedy Hamlet
by William Shakespeare and doll performances, in operas of Giuseppe Verdi Aida
and Mykola Lysenko Natalka-Poltavka, Alexander Dovzhenko's film The Earth,
etc.
So, the received results have allowed to raise a level of universality of
my hypothesis as it was found out, that not only the fairy tale structure, but
also the structure of wide range of other texts has in the basis the system of
the is universal-cultural meanings, organized in the basic formula „life –
death – immortality”.
At the same time the analysis has allowed to affirm, that the given
hypothesis has found its confirmation because there was explicated the reproduced
effect when, basically, any cultural text has fallen under procedure of
revealing in it of the CUB-structure.
6. Outlines of a new paradigm of the
analysis of the origin of invariant structure of culture texts: “the
universal-cultural version”
This chapter begins with a summary of historico-generative concept of
Olga Frejdenberg about “metaphors of primitive consciousness” which is
regarded by Me as a break of a paradigm „reality – text”. Further its critical
analysis and a universal-cultural interpretation are given. As a result, there
was deconstructed the real contents of her concept. The basic idea, extracted from
her concept, consists in that the structure of texts of culture is not the
"representation" of reality. This structure is a product of creative
spontaneous activity of our consciousness which actualizes during the process
of synthesis of deep meanings of texts those world outlook invariants which are
determined by the basic vital purposes of the person. As a result, it has been ascertained,
that "metaphors" offered by her are either categories of ultimate
bases (for example, group of metaphors of "Death"), or world outlook
codes (group of metaphors "Meal").
For a confirmation of my conclusions in the following parts of the work,
there are considered theories and the concepts confirming a hypothesis of
autogenerating of a universal-cultural structure of the texts of culture. Among
them - Charles Jung’s and Stanislav Grof's ideas about subconscious factors of
generating and synthesis of inner invariant semantic structures of texts of
culture, fixing of the fact of spontaneous autogenerating of identical
CUB-structures in a historical and political idea, in fairy tales and children
psychology by Howard Olker, an explication of autogenerated reproduction of
universal-cultural senses in the work of productive ability of imagination
through experiments with children's creativity of Italian storyteller Janny
Rodari and introspection of a Russian children's writer Nikolay Nosov.
In the following part of work there was carried out the analysis of
processes of self-generation of universal-cultural senses in the conception
„language as a home of objective reality” (Martin Heidegger) and through
spontaneous poetic creativity (Maximilian Kirienko-Voloshyn). Then the process
of creation of a piece of writing (on example of a short story) is investigated
and it is offered to consider it as a fluent creative synthesis of
universal-cultural connections of actants. The development of heuristic potentialities
of critically reconsidered concept of O.Frejdenberg has finally fixed the
results received in the previous sections. It was realized by a demonstrative
explication of the fact that owing to a projection of the human CUB-senses
which are available in structure of independent consciousness, to an objective
reality, there takes place a universally-cultural semeiotization of the entire
reality and its separate fragments and objects. But as both this semeiotization,
and objects and fragments of reality are a mobile objective structure of the
contents of world outlook consciousness then we have carried out a restoration
of the invariant cultural-world outlook contents in stage evolution of objectively- figurative bearers of is
universal-cultural meaning (a totem - tsar - slave-clown).
Examination of a conceptual part of work of O.Frejdenberg has shown that
under "metaphors" she has presented a full set of categories of ultimate
bases and world outlook codes, including their formula sheaf. Along with this,
it is necessary to accept, that the classification of "metaphors" developed
by her, is extremely inconsequent and incorrect, in particular in view of their
universal-cultural sub-base.
Thus, the mortal CUB, represented in „metaphor” "Death", serves not only as
a rubricator for a range of some other metaphors. This category is considering
by O.Frejdenberg in itself also, as the subject of classification, being included
in other headings, particularly, in the group of „metaphors” "Meal".
The second reproach consists in the following. Declaring, that the
subject of her analysis should be initial formations of before-logical and before-world
outlook consciousnesses, O.Frejdenberg actually carries out a reconstruction of
„metaphors of primitive
consciousness” on the basis of the analysis of late, derivative forms of logically
structured and Weltanschauung, ideologically oriented consciousness (specifically,
myths).
At the same time, O. Frejdenberg's doubtless merit is that she tried to find a source of structural
invariants of texts in archaic formations of consciousness, though she did not reject
the idea of their borrowing and „migrations”. Initial ceremony „reality”, the structure of which is usually
considered as a source of structurization of the text of culture „derived” from it, is only a field of demonstration,
but by no means the source of this structure origin.
The invariant universal-cultural structure of the text of culture lies in
the depths of human subjectivity, on what O.Frejdenberg, neglecting serious
enough for those times possible accusations in idealism, sagaciously indicated in
her works.
In my opinion, the given structurization-forming subjectivity does not
belong only to the "primitive" consciousness as O.Frejdenberg considered.
The invariant of cultural consciousness in the same measure, as in remote times,
lives and acts at present and will act in the future. Therefore, it is incorrect
to consider this primitive consciousness and its "metaphors" as that
source from which the stereotyped "patterns" of the subsequent
cultural forms have originated.
What O.Frejdenberg considers as metaphors of primitive consciousness
is not something forgotten in the far passed times. Their senses are always
relevant, in any epoch. Taking into account a continuous action of eternal the
existential factors, defining the stereotype of key parameters of human
attitude to the world, these coincidences are caused by the fact that people of
all times and nations certainly reflect on eternal philosophical questions and reconstruct
the immortal themes in the literature. Owing to this deep identity of texts at
level of CUB and codes, it becomes possible to observe the typological coincidences,
identities and parallels in different cultural texts, but already at a level of
their external displays (motives, plots, themes, figures, characters).
If we meet identical texts in different cultures it is impossible to deny
the fact of any borrowing, migration or reproduction. But there is a question –
what is the reason of borrowing of that by one culture from another? The reason
of this, most likely, is that in each culture some "eternal" problems
continue to remain relevant at all times. Therefore here it is necessary to
speak not about simple mechanical borrowing, but about actualization of
existential senses in texts of culture at a level of their inner structure. For
each person who has come to this world, the questions of his own life and death
will be always important and actual.
Caused by patrimonial unity of the person, the identity of notional and vital
searches of people dictates the presence of the given identity also in these
answers offered in different cultures, which as a result are reduced to a
universal-cultural invariant of the persevering strengthening of a life, a passionate
desire to overcome death and to reach if not eternal, but a long life. Ancient
texts, which did not have any existential meanings (for example, inventory
tablets from Mesopotamia), are interesting today only to experts of particular
speciality, whereas the myth of Hilgamesh, of searches for immortality, excites
imagination of our contemporaries.
C. Jung and S. Grof in a certain sense were inspired with a search of
culture universalias as they, basing on the concept of subconscious, put before
themselves the purpose to trace how these inborn elements of human subconsciousness
determine the contents and structure of mythological legends, images, dreams
and cultural texts in general. C. Jung considered these factors as archetypes, and
S.Grof – as the so-called basic perinatal matrixes (BPM). Both the
archetypes, and BPM, examined from my point of view, have easily opened their
universal-cultural contents. And it concerns not only such obviously expressed CUB-archetypes,
as blood or the murderer of the father (an aggressive
code), but also some archetypes of erotic code, shadows (the
latent negative features of the person as a result having mortality in their
basis), "egoism" (Selbst) (a heart of personal consciousness
as expression of completeness of vital forces, vitality), etc.
Eventually, as the base of vitally-important directives C. Jung points out
the poles of a life – birth and death referred to the sphere collective
subconscious. As the certain measure this circumstance was accepted also by C. Jung,
speaking that archetype constituents of dreams of the little girl, which he has
selected for a substantiation of his viewpoint, are reduced to ideas of
destruction (aggression as destruction) and restoration (restoration
as revival). The general limit of this phenomenon was pubertal age of the
girl (erotic coding of life as continuation of a clan, as clan immortality)
and the presentiments of her life premature ending (mortality).
Achievements of immortality through overcoming of threat of death as a
formula invariant of all archetype motives is indirectly accepted by C. Jung as
he draws a parallel between dreams of the girl and ceremonies of initiation
(confirmation) which have such invariant structure (life – death – revival).
From these important remarks of C. Jung it is possible to draw a conclusion,
that he accepts, that in a basis of archetypes there are some wider world
outlook structures which are the categories ultimate bases.
S. Grof, known as the initiator of transpersonal psychology, having
investigated a huge file of texts of culture, has put forward an idea according
to which the invariant constituents of the mentioned texts are determined by
that they are structured according to certain schemes reflecting the stages of childbirth.
One’s own birth does not pass for the person without leaving a trace, and in its
key stages is fixed in „perinatal” to sphere of subconsciousness, determining to
a great extent the following postnatal conscious experiences of many life
circumstances within the limits of psychological structure of the person generated
under influence of these matrixes. He declares that connection of biological
experience of a person own birth with experience of dying and a new birth,
which is shown in imaginations, dreams, works of art, etc. is rather deep and
specific.
As after the analysis carried out by us it was found out, that BPM of S.Grof
on the whole are the original expression of a basic triad "life – death – revival"
experienced by the person during the process of her birth, then we can draw a
conclusion, that if this memory of one’s own birth sets the structure of
personal consciousnesses, then its structure also should correspond with this
triad. That is, an invariant of the derived from these BPM substantial layers
of consciousness are the categories of ultimate bases.
H. Olker's leading ideas are close to my opinions. His analysis
essentially differs from all previous attempts to throw light on the origin and
essence of invariant constituents of texts of culture. The main point of his
idea consists in the statement of generating of culture invariants in depths of
our consciousness owing to that a text of culture appears not so much as reflection
of "reality" by our consciousness, but as a product of active
designing by our consciousness of universal senses which are introduced in this
"reality". He has carried out the proof of this thought by
demonstration of identity of fairy tale texts with historical and political ones.
Besides it turned out, that the American test for the best memorizing of the
text by children shows, that such text is the fairy tale, defined by V. Propp as
the basic (Аф131) at the heart of which, as well as in historical works
(Arnold J. Toynbee), there lays the basic world outlook formula.
So, each of these scientists following their own way, actually came to
conclusion, that the structure of consciousness is determined by categories of ultimate
bases, which during their autogeneration and filling with the concrete
contents form an authentic CUB-structure of all texts of culture.
From the point of view of a substantiation of idea of autogenerating
of universal-cultural structures and one of the variants of the basic world
outlook formula there are interesting examples of spontaneous children's
creativity which are accompanied by introduction in the texts of the certain
threat with the purpose of reproduction of the full basic formula „life - death – immortality” in the variant „life – a fatal
threat – removal of the threat”. Giving children a task of creation of their
own fairy tale, J. Rodari has found out, that all of them do not fall outside
the limits of a drama of life and death. That is, the productive childish
consciousness spontaneously generates such structures that base on categories
of ultimate bases and the basic vital purpose.
Something similar was found out by another children's writer, N.Nosov during
introspection of his creative work when he found out, that in a basis of the
plot of the story (touching contemporary themes) written by him there has laid
down an archaic, though weakened and transformed motive of occurrence of threat
and its avoidance. Determined by stage and age-specific and sociohistorical
factors the forms of representation of the given intention in the structure of
subconsciousness of children, and, by the way, of adults, cannot be denied.
There will be no greater exaggeration to state, that the basic intention of our
consciousness, initially programmed on avoidance of danger and on a survival, is
always turned up to overcoming of a fatal threat. For these reasons, the
person, young or adult, during realization of his mysterious productive ability
of imagination (I.Kant) and creative imagination from any offered objective
material, certainly synthesizes such texts, which will be structurally
organized on the basis of this fundamental intention.
The analysis of game behaviour of children, ideas on „an instinct of immortality” by Jacob Golosovker, Elena Ulybina's
psychoanalytic reconstruction of psychology of the girl-teenager in
A.Ostrovsky's play Snow Maiden, show, that corresponding universally-cultural
intentions of consciousnesses can invariantly structure a fairy tale (and any other
text) directly during their generation. Plots with the CUB-structural core become
"eternal" not owing to presence in them of any images already known before,
characters or motives, but owing to "eternity" (topicality for each
generation) of their invariant universal-cultural contents. The Last one is
independently generated (self-generated) by modern sub/consciousness, originating
as a result of working of cognitive creative mechanisms.
One of the most interesting problems of the theory of creativity is a
problem of spontaneous synthesis by story-tellers or writers of numerous plots.
Here the most important for us was a substantiation of the statement about a certain
"a priori" prediction of produced plots. The idea consists in development
of that indisputable conclusion, that at a final set of constant structural
elements of the text the number of their combinations is also final.
Reasoning from the results of my work on the structural analysis of a
short story I have shown, that Marguerite de Navarre was free in her
choice of characters and in representation of variations of relations between
them, drawing them from their final register. But she was not free in a choice
of most these very relations. As well as modern science fiction writers, she
recreated these relations mainly in two of their four possible forms – erotic
and aggressive though communications on the basis of alimentary, and in
particular – informative code were also realized by her.
It is obvious, that their astonishing stable presence in works of
different genres of different times can be explained only by autogeneration
of the given types of relations, that testifies that exactly these intentional,
spontaneous, immanent preferences of creators of the work of literature, which
are at the bottom of their basic vital directives, make a basis of those humanly
important senses which are shown during the work of their productive ability of
imagination and can are realized in the results of their creative synthesis of
texts.
As I already said, the world is a projection of humanly important senses
on an objective reality. A fundamental feature of the substantial and
structurally-formal side of these senses is their subordination to the
universal-cultural meanings inserted in the general world outlook formula „strengthening
of life, overcoming of death, aspiration to immortality”.
Having passed the theoretical "circle" and having critically reconsidered
the concept of „metaphors of primitive consciousness” of O.Frejdenberg, we
again, but already at higher, theoretically-based level, have approached the
statement declared at the beginning of work that owing to this projecting
feature of our consciousness both the world as a whole, and its separate
fragments, are semiotized by us within the limits of our most fundamental vital
aims.
At the same time, the acceptance that the mentioned "metaphors"
are anything else but categories of ultimate bases and the world outlook codes
connected in a formula sheaf „life – death – immortality”, allowed us to
show, that the unusual meanings of habitual things reconstructed by
O.Frejdenberg do not fall outside the limits of this formula. For example, it
has been shown, that such „archetype” concepts as House,
Field, Temple have exactly these meanings.
The temple appears as a special sacral place, where there is given a
communion of “favour and life of a deity” to the believers. Its vertical
and horizontal dimensions have strongly expressed CUB-semantics. It is clear
from orientation of temples on a line „East – West” (life - death), that
determines the position of altars only in its eastern part, and a front
entrance – so that the movement to a temple was only from the West on the East,
from death – to life.
Crowning of the dome-sky by the cross with its diasemantics „death-revival”,
the peculiarities of the orthodox cross with slanting section of its bottom
horizontal part which by its spatial orientation also symbolizes a victory over
death and the strengthening of life - all this unconditionally points out to universal-cultural
structuredness of a temple architectural text which is not limited only to
these senses. „The temple” acts also as a high life ideal (an information code of
vital universalia) to which should lead all the roads.
According to O.Frejdenberg, the matter concerns a certain complex of senses
which was developed during a semiotized consumption of food, copulations and
funeral actions during initial, before-ceremonial periods of their display. The
general "scheme" of its „construct” looked like a movement from
occurrence and bloom to the decline, and that movement was carried out by an
animal-totem, which was torn up and eaten up, managing certain ritualized actions.
Later is the sun, leaders, emperors, gladiators, olympians, defendants and, finally,
actors became its personification.
Consequently,
these initial senses became inherent to all things and actions which surrounded
these figures – actually to ceremonies and rituals, cities, Olympic and other
games, constructions (to triumphal arches, pillars, to images of
lions, to gates, doors, to wreaths on them, to windows), to things of the
daily use (to a table, a cloth, a chair, awnings, marquees, to a veil, to a carousel),
to a theatre (comedy and tragedy, stage, orchestra), to literary genres
and other texts of culture, inclusive with ritual food (sausage, pies,
forcemeat and peas). E.g., such traditional elements of Olympic Games, as letting
out of an eagle before their opening (now - pigeons) and crowning the winner with
a laurel wreath have the meaning of a victory over forces of death (immortality).
In antiquity Olympic struggle was a real hand-to-hand fighting, and it
continued until one of the opponents was not killed. Since those times when
these games still were a fatal competition, the one who after games remained
alive, was crowned with a wreath as a token of a victory over death.
The initial meanings of peas are also unusual for us. Special
ritual semiotization of food has led to transferring of "food" semantics
to things and phenomena entirely different from food. It is well know, that the
clown is often given an epithet "pea fool", as well as the expression
"under the tsar Pea" (in days of yore).
Exactly from farces of beans and lentil there was originated a
stereotypic expression "a pea clown". In general, both the clown, and
tsar once directly personified the universal-cultural basic formula life – death
– revival, and peas (lentil) became associated with them for the reason,
that before ritual killing of princeling (and then - his substitute, the
slave), they were crowned with a pea straw, echoes of that have reached in some
ceremonies almost up to present times.
„Storm of applause turning into ovation” now is a sign of approval by a public
of performance of an actor or report of a speaker. But their original meaning
was differed from the modern one. The main character of an ancient theatre was
the god of death and revival Dionysius. In a theatrical drama it was the Dionysius-bull
or the Dionysius-goat.
If this goat partially denominates two drama genres, then the sheep
denominates a drama of a victory, an ovation. Ovation is a
pleasure, a celebration, a wreath that was put on a head of commander which
assimilated to a victorious animal (Dionysius-ram-goat) which revives for
life during the moment of passage under a triumphal arch. Here we also see a
full development of basic formula.
Similar semantics had also the triumphal arches which are present
in many cities of the world. According to O. Frejdenberg, a triumphal arch was a
celestial horizon and consequently they had a semicircular arch. The victory of
the sun, the occurrence of totem coincides with entrance through a heavenly- afterlife gate, through a triumphal
arch which divided the two worlds. The semantics of a triumphal arch as means
of overcoming death is better expressed by the fact that sometimes it was constructed
for prevention of danger that in itself guaranteed rescue from death. Emperor,
solemnly passing under the arch to a circus, appeared as the winner-sun. By this
he expressed the idea of overcoming of death, the establishing of life. Here it
is easy to see the presence of the basic world outlook formula.
Often near a gate, doors or on the walls there are represented lions (the
so-called „lion's gate”). In their image there was fixed a crossing of
"border" between two worlds, light and darkness. So, stone lions,
which are half put out from the house, or just simple images of their muzzles
on the walls is the transformed image of an archaic totem which has died and
has revived. The universal-cultural formula is also totally presented here.
A bright erotic-genetic semantics have the doors of houses
or gates which indicated a maternal womb. Giving birth, continues
O.Frejdenberg, the woman opens and closes the celestial doors. Therefore Janus,
the god of door, was called at childbirth. Except the mentioned CUB-semantics the
door had also additional meaning which originated from a custom to copulate on
a threshold and to hang up a wreath on a door as modern Americans
like.
Traditional night or evening songs (serenades) of an enamoured man under
a window (balcony) of his beloved originate from that tradition when a drunk reveller
in a “komos” (a night procession) in the end of procession addressed not a
woman, and a door (later – a window), and then publicly laid down with a woman
directly on a threshold. From the same sources, considers O.Frejdenberg, there
is a tradition to hang up a wreath on a door. In fact „komos” is a
variant of a carol which name originates from the name of a branch of laurel or
an olive in skeins of wool which was left on a door as a sign of
fertility (erotically coded genitive).
Similar mortally-immoral semantics in different codes have also fabrics, curtains,
tents of circus and roundabouts on which the stars were painted. They represented
the idea of heavenly circulation, a motion from death to life. A bridal veil is
the same heavenly arch which has a dualistic semantics both of death, and
revival. Hence – coverlets and cloths with which the dead men and a table on
which they laid were covered. Staying on a table-altar, the died man was
considered as totem-king, certainly due to revive. From here originate those meanings
of a table which are connected with the Supreme authority – „Vоlоdуmуr in
Kуїv on a table” (ukr., russ. „стол” – ‘a table’, derived concepts „столиця” - ‘a capital’, „престол” – ‘throne’).
All this allows to draw conclusions that usual things and phenomena
examined from the point of view of the approach offered by O. Frejdenberg which
heuristic potential is developed by us with reference to the offered
universal-cultural concept of the analysis of culture texts, show their forgotten
or unusual meanings which go back to invariants, or culture universalias, such
as birth, life, death and immortality, and corresponding world outlook codes.
Rejecting the idea of direct borrowing of deep universal-cultural invariants
in texts of culture in general and in pieces of literature in particular and
insisting on acceptance of the concept of their generation, I do not deny the
fact, that development of cultural forms provides the presence of a certain
continuity, tradition and heredity of development of the fixed cultural images,
plots and characters on a background of their natural transformation.
But even this transformation does not
lead to disappearance of primary CUB-senses involved in semiosphere of things,
processes and figures. Thus, it is possible to outline the history of origin of
a figure of a circus clown as stage evolution of certain personifications of world
outlook senses of strengthening of life through dying of a totem-animal, tsar,
slave and clown.
The clown is the degenerated figure
of the slave, the double of tsar-leader who took up the mortal semantics of Saturnalia.
In this festival the social relations "turned over", a tsar for a
while became a "slave", and the slave became "tsar". In
traditional ritual of change of tsar instead of him there was killed his
temporary assistant, the slave. Later the slave turns into the clown who was
dressed up as tsar.
In circus he gets the appearance of
the "red-haired
circus clown",
who was not killed any more, but simply beaten on an arena and who later turns into
a strolling actor, a juggler, a skomorokh, acting on stilts (the former cothurnus) in booths, demonstrating the
puppet-show and so forth. However in spite of radical changes in roles and meanings,
successive figures of an animal-totem, tsar, slave and clown keep as the
fundamental structurally-semantic basis the categories of ultimate bases and
dominating world outlook idea of overcoming of death by an immortal life.
Table of Contents
Summary
TOPICS
1. Philosophical and methodological basis of the
Weltanschauung Categories of Ultimate Bases researching.
2. Categories of Ultimate Bases as Universalias of Culture
3. Investigation of profound invariant of the structure of a
fairy tale as the applied version of search for universalias in texts of
culture
4. An explication of internal contradictions of the theory of
V. Propp as a precondition of its falsification
5. Falsification of the theory of V. Propp by means of increasing
a level of universality of a deductive hypothesis about a universal-cultural
structure of culture texts
6. Outlines of a new paradigm of the analysis of the origin
of invariant structure of culture texts: “the universal-cultural version”
Олександр Сергійович Кирилюк
Анти-Пропп
Критика теорії В. Проппа зі структури
чарівної казки та її генезису
kiriliuk@infra.co.ua
Брошура
Наукове видання
Англійська мова
Olexander Kyryliuk. ANTI-PROPP. Criticism of Vladimir Propp’s Theory on Genesis of Magic Fairy Tales’
Structure – Odessa: Autograph / CHE UNSA, 2009. – p. 50. In Engl.
Separate English supplement to the
book: Olexander Kyryliuk. Weltanschauung Categories of Ultimate Bases in the
Universal Culture Dimensions. – Odessa, Ukraine: Autograph/CHE UNAS – 2008. – 416
р. In Ukrainian.
Олександр Кирилюк. АНТИ-ПРОПП.
Критика теорії В. Проппа зі структури чарівної казки та її генезису. – Одеса: Автограф / ЦГО НАН України. – 2009. – 50 с. (англ. мова).
Окремий додаток до книги (автореферат
англійською):
Кирилюк О.С. Світоглядні категорії
граничних підстав в універсальних вимірах культури. – Одеса: Автограф. – 2008.
– 416 с.