Polish Studies of Kyiv: works of International scientific conference, Kyiv, 23-25 of May, 2018. / chief editor R. Radyshevskyi. – vol. XXXV. – Kyiv: Talkom, 2019. – P. 334-340.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/psk.2019.35.334-340

Strohanova K.

AUTHOR AND A CHARACTER OF WITOLD GOMBROWICZ

IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY OF LITERATURE

Abstract. The review of Witold Gombrowicz’s self-image due to questions and tasks of anthropology of literature pro- vides a possibility to make an analysis of such aspects and motivators as family, civilization process, role in national cultural process, position in social formations. Analysis is based on Gombrowicz’s prose, memoirs and personal correspondence. Psychological portrait of character-narrator and author himself – autobiographism is pronounced in each Gombrowicz’s main character – is depicted very clearly and has the signs of emotional influences experienced by the writer in his childhood and further years. These influences have formed Gombrowicz’s philosophical concepts, especially his theory of Form, and deter- mined writer’s position in questions of national and cultural identity.

Answers on one of the most important issues that anthropology of literature tries to resolve – for what purpose a writer creates virtual worlds – can be successfully looked for in Witold Gombrowicz’s works. Universalism and ubiquity of self-im- age in all literary works is one of the unique features which makes Gombrowicz a perfect object for anthropology of literature. As several scientists have noted, the whole heritage of Gombrowicz is a one large novel with the same character who faces various circumstances and tries to manage them. Reactions, motivations, positions of this character are usually equal to author’s – Gombrowicz always considered himself as the most important and main character. So Gombrowicz’s works become an extremely fruitful field for literary-anthropological research – the writer writes only about himself, he analyses deeply his psychological features and external influences which motivated his actions and formed his opinions.

This research is the beginning of a prospective road – the main questions are claimed, the main vectors are defined and the general overview of problematics is made; the deeper analysis of Gombrowicz’s prose and memoirs with usage of literary-anthropolog- ical instruments and considering of it’s issues demand more expanded study which will shortly appear in Ukrainian Polish studies.

Keywords: Witold Gombrowicz, self-image, image of an author, anthropology of literature, autobiographism, psychological portrait, emigration literature.

Information about author: Strohanova Kateryna, PhD student, department of Polish studies, Institute of philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.