Особливості поетики малої прози Шервуда Андерсона (на матеріалі збірок новел "Тріумф яйця" і "Коні й люди")")

Abstract

У статті проаналізовано поетикальні особливості зразків малої прози американського письменника Шервуда Андерсона, представленої збірками новел «Тріумф яйця» і «Коні й люди». Фокус наукового дослідження зосереджено на таких домінантах поетики новел, як: специфіка конструювання художнього простору, який базується на принципі контрасту та знаходить відбиття в антитетичних символах і мотивах, тематичні акценти, типологія протагоністів, а також особливості побудови образів оповідача і розповідача.

The nature of Sherwood Anderson’s short fiction has elicited much critical attention to the texts created as his readers encounter the stories. For, on the one hand, Anderson was a very lyrical writer: the range of his character types is narrow, and the most common character type in the stories is largely a projection of his own artistic identity. On the other hand, his oral narrators encourage readers to participate in the creation of the stories. The omniscient author of collected short stories pleads for poetic assistance in telling the stories, and in a number of short stories the first-person narrator engages the reader in the search for meaning of life. The essential element of both collected short stories is the contrast which underlies the characters’ relationships, complexity and simplicity, present and past, urban and rural, and becomes the center of attention. In most short stories Anderson rejects the straight-line initiation story and makes an attempt during which although he may not adequately design the development of his main character but in which he does explore the importance of selfawareness about one’s own limitations and confidence in one’s actual self. In our study we found out the peculiarities of contrast themes implementation as well as the effective use of two-typed puzzled narrators, a balanced tone, and opposite symbols that lead to success in short stories. The specific features of characters are the inability to break through a wall of miscommunication, the theme being, «Are there no words that lead to life?», the inability to communicate feeling, the inability to communicate thought, and the inability to communicate love. The theme of the problem of human isolation in the three aspects is considered to be a recurrent one. The writer shows these shortcomings at work through the contrast themes and symbols opposing such concepts as «day – night», «life – death», «past – future», «dark – light», «village – city» etc. Some repeated symbols of enclosure, fog, and compression are the integral part of the characters’ image. Each of the characters can be revealed in a phrase because each of them carries within himself the complicating factor that provides the framework for the story. But this does not mean that characterization in the story is slight or simple. It means that is is primarily based upon depth rather than breadth, and each is narrow area deeply explored, with the emphasis placed upon the uniqueness of that basic trait. This concept of characterization leads directly into the narrative technique used in the stories. There are no carefully-constructed plots, sequences of significant incidents, patterns of rising or falling actions. Rather, the stories are character-plotted, and each consists of the revelation of the character core that is the essence of the central figure’s being. All in all, two collected short stories are marked by contrary thematic keys, experimentation with the stylistic manner and structure. Characterization has deepened in contrast symbolism, and the narrative technique has become carefully controlled by using two narrative voices. In addition, Anderson uses the technique of framing the collections by using sketches at the beginning and at the end.