Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko*

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko* Olena Shchegel ** Contents I. Introduction II. Space in Shevchenko's works III. St. Petersburg as the 'anti- world' IV. Russia as surreal and profane space V. Conclusions <Abstract> This paper addresses the question of how the space of Russia in general and St.Petersburg in particular is depicted in Taras Shevchenko's works This paper discusses how the space of Russia is represented in Taras Shevchenko's poetry. It argues that although Russia's image is often vague and ambiguous to the extent of surrealistic it is a latently present at the background of many Shevchenko's poems and influences perception of other kinds of space as well the understanding of Shevchenko's literary universe in whole. After a short overview of previous research, the paper introduces different types of literary space that can be differentiated in Shevchenko's poetic works and provides a brief explanation on each of them. The urban space of St.Petersburg is analyzed as the 'anti-world' which is counterpositioned with that of the 'real world' of Ukraine. The paper examines symbolic connections of Shevchenko's St.Petersburg with Ukrainian folklore and emphasizes the infernality of the former. The last part of the paper analyzes the image of Russia in Shevchenko's works * This work was supported by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund of 2014. ** Assistant professor at the Department of Ukrainian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

26 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 to find out that the larger space of Russia has similar surreal qualities to those of a smaller space which St. Petersburg is. At the same time, Russia is presented in Shevchenko's works as a profane space to which spiritual decline, evilness and amorality are intrinsic. Key words: Ukraine, Shevchenko, literary space, Russia, real and surreal I. Introduction Тарас Шевченко (Taras Shevchenko) is rightfully considered one of the greatest writers of Ukraine. It was Shevchenko who really turned Ukrainian into a literary language. Both Ukrainian and foreign researchers have studied various aspects of his artistic heritage but due to diversity and multidimensionality of his works there are still a vast range of subjects that remain completely or partially left out of the researchers' scope. One such subject is how the poet portrays Russia as a literary space in his works. While many researchers mention that Shevchenko contradistinguishes Russia to Ukraine they usually provide only superficial analysis of the former space while concentrating on the latter one. Russia is often interpreted as a masculine symbol thus strong but violent, callous and indifferent while Ukraine is a symbol of femininity thus often weak and submissive but kind, tender and pure. Such interpretation is found in works of Ukrainian scholars Syomak, Triputina, Holumbyovsky, Zabuzhko 1 and others as well as in works of overseas researchers such as professor of University of Illinois 1 On this subject see Syomak, N. Сьомак, Н. (2010) Тема ґендерного насильства в поетичній творчості Т.Г. Шевченка [The theme of gender-based violence in the poetic works of T. Shevchenko]. Zhytomyr National University; Triputina, N., Тріпутіна, Н. (2004) Жіноча тема у творчості Т.Г.Шевченка [The subject of femininity in Shevchenko's works]. Kharkiv National Scientific Library; Holumbyovsky J., Голумбйовський Й. (1972) Шевченкові жіночі образи в оцінці Івана Франка [Feminine images in Shevchenko's works as seen by Ivan Franko], Українське літературознавство 17: 81-86; Zabuzhko, O.,Забужко О. (1997) Шевченків міф України. Спроба філософського аналізу [The myth of Shevchenko's Ukraine. An attempt for a philosophic analysis]. Київ: Абрис.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 27 (who has Ukrainian roots) Rubchak 2 and Korean scholar Han, Jeong-Suk 3. While such approach is undoubtedly correct it only unveils one (outter) layer of Russia's representation in literary space of Shevchenko's works. There have only been few attempts at analyzing Shevchenko's works from the deeper, philosophical point of view with the use of notions of literary space and time, chronotope, at showing that literary space is not just the place of action but is much more complex than that, a means for expressing certain concepts. Today, only two Ukrainian scholars have been working in this direction 4 and while their works provide a strong base for future research many aspects of literary space in Shevchenko's poems remain unexplored. The problem of literary space was first discussed by Lessing in his Laocoon: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry but the notion of literary space has not been relatively fully formulated until the end of 19-beginning of 20th century, then became a central issue of literary discussion in 1950s-1980s when works of Mikhail Bakhtin became popular and works by Michel Foucault, Tzvetan Todorov, Yuri Lotman, Valdimir Toporov and others were published and nowadays remains a subject for debate among the scholars including Robert Tally, Bertrand Westphal, Mieke Bal as well as many others. This paper does not follow a single theory by one of the abovementioned philologists but rather adopts the elements of their theories that are most appropriate 2 Rubchak, Bohdan. Taras Shevchenko as an Emigre Poet. In: Burstynsky, Edward and Lindheim, Ralph eds. (1990) In Working Order: Essays Presented to G.S.N. Luckyj. Edmonton: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies: 21-56. 3 Han, Jeong-Suk, 한정숙 (2005) 유랑시인 [A wondering poet]. 한길사 : 183. 4 Shupta-V'yazovska dedicates her research to chronotope in Shevchenko's works (See: Shupta- V'yazovska O., Шупта-В'язовська О. (1999) Час і простір у структурі художньої моделі [Time and space in the structure of literary model]. Вісник Одеського державного університету 4: 85-90; (2000) Творчість Шевченка як ліричний канон (часопросторовий аспект) [Works of Shevchenko as a lyrical canon (the chronotope aspect)]. Київ: Брама: 105-112; (2001) Наближення до абсолюту (три з останніх поезій Шевченка) [Being close to the absolute (three of the last Shevchenko's poems)]. Слово і час 3: 41-44). Boron' (Boron' O., Боронь О. (2005) Поетика простору в творчості Тараса Шевченка [Poetics of space in Taras Shevchenko's works]. Київ: Агентсво "Україна") provides a deeper analysis and looks into the poetics of space in Shevchenko's poems, deviding it into four categories which would be discussed futher in this paper.

28 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 for analyzing the spatial form in Shevchenko's works. For example, Bakhtin's concept of chronotope is hardly apt for analysis of poetry. In his work Формы времени и хронотопа в романе (Forms of Time and of the Chronotope in the Novel) Bakhtin himself argues that the concept of chronotope is to be used in analysis of prose literature, novels in particular (Bakhtin 1986:112). For poetry, on the other hand, it is necessary to regard space separately from time (as opposed to chronotope). At the same time, Bakhtin provides an elaborate insight into the deep and hidden meanings of a literary work that may only be discovered through the prism of space and time (Bakhtin 1979:204-206) which becomes useful when studying images and spatial models in Shevchenko's poetry. When discussing space in Shevchenko's poetry this paper also utilizes Lotman's concept of space as a primary abstract language of the literary whole. Lotman wrote that 'in the literary model of the world, 'space' sometimes metaphorically assumes the role of expressing a completely non-spatial relations in the structure of the world it forms' (Lotman 1968: 6), (henceforth translation of theorethical works is mine). Lotman argues that literary space represents the model of the world of a writer which is conveyed through the language of the writer's spatial conceptions (Lotman 1968: 6). Toporov's concept of mithopoetic space was also a great contribution to the methodological base for this research. For Toporov, mithopoetic space is a kind of matrix therefore, space is a fundamental principle of any literary work and permeates a literary work at all different levels, becomes active in regard to both characters placed within this space and the reader. Toporov's space correlates not only with the development of the plot but determines the overall composition of a literary text. Because Toporov's space is active it adds spatiality to things that are not spatial in their nature metonymically transferring elements of spatial images onto non-spatial images, symbols etc (Toporov 1983: 227-284).

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 29 II. Space in Shevchenko's works In his study Poetics of space in Taras Shevchenko's works, Boron' seperates out four different types of space in Taras Shevchenko's poems (Boron 2005: 40) and this paper chooses to adopt such differentiation. According to Boron', Shevchenko's literary space can be devided into reality space, historical space, irreal space and absolute space. This paper agrees with such devision because it correlates with methodological approach discussed in the introduction to this paper. That is to say, such differentiation implies that literary space is an interrelated system of spatial dimentions that reflects spatial aspect of the thought and imagination of the author through special mechanisms - language of the writer's spatial conceptions. It is important to emphasize that these four types of space do not exist separately from each other but are tightly interconnected and are often interweaved with each other. For example, reality space is linked closely to historical space which is best observed in such poems as Іван Підкова (Ivan Pidkova), Тарасова ніч (Night of Taras'), Гамалія (Hamaliya), Гайдамаки (The Haidamaks), Чигрине, Чигрине... (Chyhryn, Chyhryn...) and other history-themed works of Shevchenko. Historical space, in its turn, is closely related to the irreal world of Turkey, Poland and Russia. And all these three spaces are connected with the absolute space of the thought of the poet and implicit reader or rather implicit interlocutor. This paper does not aim to analyze in detail the four abovementioned types of space and will concentrate on representation of Russia as surreal space in Shevchenko's poems but before doing so a short introduction to each type of Shevchenko's literary space would help understand the spatial universe or, in other words, the spatial cosmos of this prominent Ukrainian poet in its broadest meaning. Reality space of Shevchenko's poems is represented by Ukraine - mostly through the vivid reproduction of rural life and scenery. The topos Ukraine is revealed through the metonymy of the River Dniepro, which acts as unifying agent for all Ukraine, Ukrainians and Ukrainian (i.e. Ukrainian ethics, moral, traditions, values etc.), mountains and hills, steppe, Ukrainian traditional houses khatas and other

30 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 concrete spatial elements which fill up and enrich the topos Ukraine with unique semantic net. Historical space, as already mentioned, is best represented in Shevchenko's poems with historical motifs. The poet goes back to the past connecting topoi of Ukraine and Turkey in Ivan Pidkova and Hamaliya, Ukraine and Poland in The Haidamaks and Night of Taras' and Ukraine and Russia in Катерина (Kateryna) and Кавказ (The Caucasus) (implying that imperialistic politics in the Caucasus are generally same in Ukraine which Russia never saw as an equal but only as a colony). Historical spaces such as Turkey, Poland and Russia often act as irreal spaces in Shevchenko's works. Although Boron' who has offered the system of four types of spaces calls this space irreal the word surreal seems to be better to describe it and henceforth will be used in this paper to denote such kind of space. Irreal means something that does not exist, that is not real while surreal puts more emphasis on having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream and therefore is more apt for describing infernal qualities that are characteristic to Shevchenko's Turkey, Poland and Russia as those are portrayed as spaces of spiritual decline, evilness and amorality. These spaces are often juxtaposed with Ukraine which in Shevchenko's poems is the embodiment of virtue, morals and faith. Absolute space implies the existence of an ideal, perfect recipient or rather interlocutor. In this space, Shevchenko meditates, expresses his emotions, thoughts, feelings, dreams etc. III. St. Petersburg as the 'anti- world' At the first glance, it looks like Shevchenko does not present much of urban space in his poetry; most of his works are dedicated to selo villages, rural areas of Ukraine. Doroshkevych (Doroshkevysh 1921: 82) called Shevchenko a poet of selo not an urbanist and until recently this statement was accepted undoubtedly by scholars. Only in 2001, Barabash in his work Gogol and Shevchenko:

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 31 comparative study (Barabash 2001), first emphasized the importance of city in Shevchenko s poems through comparing his image of St. Petersburg with that of Gogol s. Barabash gives the following interpretation to Shevchenko s Petersburg: (To Shevchenko) The city remained not just a stranger, but a deeply hostile entity. To him, the city was a nightmare, a ghoul city built on the blood and corpses; it was a morass, covered with the bones of thousands and thousands of Cossacks; the symbol of reign of the hated Petrukha 5 first of those who tortured our Ukraine and second 6 who finished his evil deed of destroying the widow and orphan 7 ; it is the den of the crowned bear 8 This is how the author of A Dream saw Petersburg. A Dream, together with his epistolary correspondence, comprises the so called Petersburg text of Shevchenko before his exile. The idiolect of this text is the explosive mixture of curses, merciless satire and mockery (Barabash 2001: 282-283). Studying Gogol s St. Petersburg, Barabash emphasizes that although the city in his novels has some mythological characteristics it lacks the most important of those sacredness and therefore is portrayed as an infernal space, the so called absurd anti-world. As the above-cited expert from Barabash demonstrates, Shevchenko s perception of St. Petersburg was similar to that of Gogol s. Shevchenko almost never uses the name St. Petersburg in his poems, most of the time he prefers to use descriptions of this space so that readers would guess that he is talking about the capital of the Russian Empire. Such descriptions are not always obvious, which contributes to Shevchenko s design to make the space of Russia in general and St. Petersburg in particular feel more surreal. But we understand that the 5 Shevchenko disparagingly calls Russian Tsar Peter I Петруха (Petrukha) in his poem-mysteria Великий льох (The Large Vault) (Шевченко 1952-ІІ: 160) henceforth references for citations from Barabash are mine. 6 Barabash refers to Russian empress Catherine II. 7 Barabash uses Shevchenko s words from Сон (A Dream) to denote Ukraine (Шевченко 1952-ІІ: 120). 8 The name Shevchenko uses for Russian tsar Nikolai I in A Dream (Шевченко 1952-ІІ: 123).

32 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 poet is talking about none other city but St. Petersburg from such details as that the city is built in a swamp or that it is the city where night is as bright as day, referring to white night phenomenon St. Petersburg is famous for. As the previous chapter shows, the space of reality in Shevchenko s works is represented by Ukraine. The poet contradistinguishes these spaces emphasizing the contrast between them. For him the space of Ukraine represents the good and the space of Russia and especially St. Petersburg the evil. This is how Shevchenko describes St. Petersburg in A Dream: У долині, мов у ямі, На багнищі город мріє; Над ним хмарою чорніє Туман тяжкий... Долітаю (Shevchenko 1952/ІІ: 117) A swampy, boggy lowland spreads, And in that slough a city stands; A heavy cloud above it hangs, A cloud of fog... Up close I fly - 9 St. Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 after Russians took hold of this territory originally inhabited by Finnic tribe of Ingrians during the Great Northern War. That area in North-West of the Russian Empire was swampy and miry and hardly an apt place to build a city which resulted in death of tens of thousands of serfs, Swedish prisoners of war and Cossacks, led by Ivan Mazepa, who dared to step up against Russia and were punished by being forced to work at the construction of St. Petersburg. We find description of St. Petersburg in A Dream, The Large Vault, Іржавець (Irzhavets), Юродивий (The Holy Fool) and some other poems. Almost always the city is portrayed as the swamp or the dump. In 9 English translation of A Dream is by John Weir: http://www.infoukes.com/shevchenkomuseum/ poetry2.htm#link8

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 33 Ukrainian folklore, the swamp is the place where the devil, demons and other evil spirits dwell (Ohiyenko 1992: 137-147); it is a low place, a kind of a pit which is therefore closer to the netherworld, the hell. Shevchenko was an expert in Ukrainian folklore and often used folkloric motifs in his literary works. Therefore, his choice of opaque and somber imagery for St. Petersburg was not accidental. Moreover, Shevchenko s infernal St. Petersburg is not only the place of demons but also a place full of shadows of the dead filled with corpses of Cossacks. Царю проклятий, лукавий, Аспиде неситий! Що ти зробив з козаками? Болота засипав Благородними костями; Поставив столицю На їх трупах катованих! (Shevchenko 1952/ІІ: 121) Oh crafty, evil, grasping tsar, Oh viper poison-fanged! What did you with the Cossacks do? Their noble bones you sank In the morass and on them built Your capital-to-be, On tortured Cossack corpses built! Shevchenko acknowledges that the city might look beautiful but belittles its grandeur by saying that in the beginning it was nothing but a puddle of dirt. At the same time the poet expresses his anger that more people had died building the city than if it were a war.

34 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 А берег ушитий Увесь каменем. Дивуюсь, Мов несамовитий! Як-то воно зробилося З калюжі такої Таке диво?.. Отут крові Пролито людської І без ножа. (Shevchenko 1952/ІІ: 121). The river banks are seamed - Shored up with stone. I look around As though I were entranced! What magic wrought such marvels rare Where once was a morass 10?... What quantities of human blood Upon this spot were shed - Without a knife! Shevchenko also expresses his disdain for Russia s capital by deliberately mocking Peter I, as he sees a statue of him erected by Catherine II. The statue shows Peter I on his horse in Roman toga with laurel wreath on his head; but Shevchenko ridicules this image of Peter I. In A Dream, the tsar in on his horse but he cannot even ride properly as he is without a saddle (охляп), his clothes is something that is hard to identify (у свиті не свиті) and his head is covered not with a proper hat but with some bush leaf (якимсь листом голова повита). The poet also makes mockery of the then tsar Nikolai I and his wife the empress. 10 Shevchenko uses the word калюжа (a puddle of mud) which John Weir chooses for poetical reasons to render as morass but which makes it difficult for a reader to fully understand the extent of depreciation with which Shevchenko talks about St. Petersburg.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 35 Неначе з берлоги Медвідь виліз, ледве-ледве Переносить ноги. Та одутий, аж посинів, Похмілля прокляте його мучило. (Shevchenko 1952/ІІ: 123). And like a grizzly from his den He shambles out - the tsar; All bloated and his face tinged green: His hangover was bad. Цариця- небога, Мов опеньок засушений, Тонка, довгонога, Та ще, на лихо, сердешне Хита головою. Так оце-то та богиня! Лишенько з тобою. (Shevchenko 1952/ІІ: 118). His empress struts and preens, All wrinkled like a dried-up prune And like a beanpole lean, While every time she steps, her head Goes jiggling on her neck. Is this the beauty rare they praise?! Poor thing, you are a wreck! In The Large Vault, Shevchenko describes how after the defeat of Mazepa s uprising against Peter I, the tsar destroyed the Cossack s capital city of Baturin and threw Cossacks bones all over Finland meaning that Cossacks were sent to fight there because Russia wanted to include Finnish territories into the empire (Просто

36 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 козаками, Фінляндію засіяла). The poet is angered that Peter I would again and again send more Cossack troops to dam up the swamps for him that is, to build his capital (Так гурти за гуртом Виганяла та цареві Болота гатила. - Шевченко 1952/ІІ: 160). In The Holy Fool, Shevchenko describes St. Petersburg as Nikolai s 11 dump and from this dung wicked deeds of Russian tsar arise before the poet s eyes (а із гною Встають стовпом передо мною Його безбожнії діла... - Шевченко 1954/IV: 150). In Irzhavets, Shevchenko also mentions that as a revenge for their uprising and union with the Swedes Cossacks were herded to the swamps to build the capital (Як погнали на болоті Столицю робити- Шевченко 1953/ІІI: 134). For Shevchenko, Ukraine is the only real world for him while everywhere else is a foreign country with Russia s capital being not just foreign but surreal in its atmosphere of darkness, infernal in even the very place it is built in the swam, which is the habitat for demons according to Ukrainian folklore and therefore, the place where evil deeds are done. The images of Russian tsars are closely linked to the space of St. Petersburg. Their negative traits are latently transferred onto the whole Russia and especially St. Petersburg as the place where the tsars live and which they have created. Shevchenko s images of the capital are always ghostly and phantasmal which is best seen in Кума моя і я... (My Relative and I). Кума моя і я В Петрополіськім лабіринті Блукали ми і тьма, і тьма... «Ходімо, куме, в піраміду, Засвітим світоч». І зайшли. Єлей і миро принесли. І чепурненький жрець Ізіди, Чорнявенький і кавалер, 11 Reference to Russian emperor Nikolai I.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 37 Скромненько длань свою простер, І хор по манію лакея, Чи то жерця: «Во Іудеї Бисть цар Саул». (Shevchenko 1954/IV: 318-319) My relative and I In the Petropolis maze We wondered only darkness, darkness My friend, let s go inside the pyramid, Let s light the torch. So we went in. We brought unction and anointing with us. A neat priest of Isis, Dark-haired and with good manners, Modestly stretched out his palm, And the choir as commanded by this footman, Though he looked like a priest, sang: In Judea There is the king Saul 12. By comparing St. Petersburg to Ancient Egypt, an Orthodox priest to a priest of Isis and an Orthodox Church to a pyramid an Egyptian temple Shevchenko makes the image of the city even more surreal, unfamiliar to a reader. The poet changes the name of the city into Petropolis which has the same meaning as Petersburg (the city of Peter) but makes it feel even more distant as it implies to Ancient Greece. The city itself to the poet is a maze filled only with darkness and he and his relative are the only ones who are able to add the light (Засвітим світоч) and faith (Єлей і миро принесли) into this space of lost souls and paganism. The literary architecture of Shevchenko s St. Petersburg has little to do with the actual architecture of the city of that time. Its spatial meaning is rather symbolic. 12 Word-for-word translation is mine.

38 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 While the world for Shevchenko concentrates in Ukraine with its distinct topoi of rivers, houses, steppes and ancestral graves which are sacred, St. Petersburg is an anti-world: ghostly and surreal with no distinct topoi, dark and low that is, close to the netherworld. IV. Russia as surreal and profane space The concept of surreal world in Shevchenko's poetry applies not only to St. Petersburg but to Russia in whole. As mentioned in previous chapters of this paper, one of the key characteristics of the space of Ukraine in Shevchenko's poems is its sacredness 13. Every place that is far from Ukaraine looses such sacredness, becomes profane, surreal and soulless because it fails to comprise topoi that may fill it with positive symbolism. For Shevchenko, graves are sacred as they embody Ukraine's history, its spirituality and culture, represent ancestral wisdom. Therefore, the place that does not have graves is an irreverent one where immorality and villainy rule. Being in exile in Orenburg (which is about 1500km away from Moscow), the poet writes about its landscape in Козачковському (To Kozachkovsky): А тут бур ян, піски, тали... І хоч би нá сміх де могила О давнім дáвні говорила. Неначе люде не жили. (Shevchenko 1953/III:145) But here it is just weed, sands, sand drifts... It's sad but not a single grave 13 Research on sacredness of Ukraine to Shevchenko is quite numerous. For more on Ukraine as sacred symbol in Shevchenko's works see Moyseyiv I., Мойсеїв І (1993) Рідна хата - категорія української духовності [Ukrainian khata as the category of Ukrainian spirituality]. Сучасність 7: 151-163; Забужко О. (1997); Боронь О. (2005) and others.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 39 To tell about the past. It's like people had never lived here. 14 Never in his poems Shevchenko uses the toponym Росія (Russia). He deliberately shooses the word Московія(Moskoviya) and even more often Московщина (Moskovshchyna) as a protest against imperialistic policies of the Russian Empire. For Russia, Ukraine was nothing but a colony and Ukraine had no chance of establishing equal relations with its neighbour. But before becoming Россия 15, Moskoviya was a weaker northern country culturally inferior to Kyiv thus, Shevchenko emphasizes that equal partnership between Russia and Ukraine is possible only when Russia gives up its imperialistic avarice but at the same he realizes that this is highly unlikely and therefore expresses his hopes for the future through using Russia's name from the past. For Shevchenko, Moskovshchyna is a very distanct space both geographically as well as culturally or spiritually. The poet uses expressions like На край світа (to the end of the world), По тім боці моря (On the other side of the sea), далекий шлях (long way to get) to describe the distance to Russia. Everything there is alien to him: Московщина, Кругом чужі люде... 16 (Moskovshchyna - alien people all around). He depicts mores of Moskovshchyna opposing them to ethics of Ukraine, shows Russia as the place where people do not respect traditional morals and rules. Святую Біблію читає Святий чернець і научає, Що цар якийсь-то свині пас Та дружню жінку взяв до себе, А друга вбив. Тепер на небі. 14 Word-for-word translation is mine. 15 The name Russia (ukr.-росія, rus. - Россия) or Russian Empire was officially adopted for the country by Peter I in 1721. 16 До Основ'яненка [To Osnov'yanenko]. Шевченко 1952/I: 133.

40 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 От бачите, які у нас Сидять на небі! (Шевченко 1952/II:143)...a priest the Bible reads And then to teach the flock proceeds About a king of ancient times, Who took to bed his best friend's bride, And slew the friend he wronged besides... Now he's in heaven! See the kind We send to heaven! Shevchenko equates Moskovshchyna with prison where no one has the right to speak. У нас же й світа, як на те- Одна Сибір неісходима, А тюрм! а люду!.. Що й лічить! Од молдованина до фіна На всіх язиках все мовчить (Shevchenko 1952/II:143) Just look at all our vast domains- Boundless Siberia alone! And prisons myriads! Peoples throngs! From the Moldavian to the Finn All silent are in all their tongues 17 Moskovshchyna is latently present in many of Shcevchenko's poems even though he may not name it. For instance, describing poverty and hardships of Ukraine, it is 17 English translation of The Caucasus is by John Weir.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 41 often implied that those are because of Russia. He is saddened that Ukraine is stripped, an orphan crying over the Dniepro (Обідрана, сиротою Понад Дніпром плаче... - Shevchenko 1952/I:133). In The Caucasus, dedicated to his friend Yakiv de Balmen who was killed in Russian war against Chechens, Shevchenko writes: І тебе загнали, мій друже єдиний, Мій Якове добрий! Не за Україну, А за її ката довелось пролить Кров добру, не чорну. Довелось запить З московської чаші московську отруту! And you, my good Yakov, you also were driven To die in those mountains! Your life you have given For your country's hangmen, and not for Ukraine, Your life clean and blameless. 'Twas your fate to drain The Muscovite goblet, the full, fatal draught! Shevchenko's Moskovshchyna lacks concrete topoi; there are no vivid landscapes or descriptions. Rather the poet constructs this space through showing its spiritual decline, evilness and amorality. Constantly present at the background of most Shevchenko's works, profane space of Moskovshchyna emerges through the images of Russian soldiers who deceive Ukrainian girls as in Kateryna, governers and officials sent by Moscow to Ukraine as in The Holy Fool, through analogy with its policies in the Caucasia region as in The Caucasus, phantasmagoric images of three crows in The Large Vault and many others. This is the world Shevchenko is longing to escape but that haunts him and his beloved Ukraine through everything around him.

42 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 V. Conclussions Among variety of subjects for research on Shevchenko, the problem of literary space in his works remains relatively little explored. This paper is an attempt to look deeper into the complex universe of Shevchenko's poetic works and find correlations between different layers of literary space of his poems. Though, until recently most scholars considered that the space of Shevchenko's poetry is limited to that of a countyside through analysis of his poems this paper proves that urban space plays an important role in the creative cosmos of the poet. This urban space is mostly ambiguous and obscure drawn mostly with dim shades and darkness. It is alien and distant to Shevchenko not only physically but spiritually as well. The poet contradistinguishes it from Ukraine, deliberately avoids concrete descriptions as if trying to run away from this surreal world into the world of really which for him exists only in Ukraine. Through the prism of this surreal space we become able to deeper understand the meaning of the real world to Shevchenko. Even describing the beauty of Ukraine it is seldom for the sake of showing the beauty itself because most of the time the illusory world of Russia is silently present at the background thus, making us understand that the poet is sad and anger that his beautiful motherland is not free and is suffering. Being an expert in Ukrainian folklore, Shevchenko used traditional Ukrainian symbols to emphasize infernality of the surreal world which Russia was to him. Thus, St. Petersburg is mostly reffered to as the place in the swamps, a dump, a mud puddle - places which according to Ukrainian beliefs are habitat to all kinds of demons and evil spirits. Shevchenko juxtaposes Ukraine and Russia (or as he calls it, Moskovshchyna) to accentuate the difference between the two. While the world of Ukraine is filled with distinct topoi of rivers, houses, steppes and ancestral graves which are sacred, St. Petersburg and Russia in whole is an anti-world: ghostly and surreal with no distinct topoi, dark and low, close in Shevchenko's perception to the netherworld.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 43 Shevchenko's literary legacy is vast, including both poetry and prose in Ukrainian as well as in Russian. The subject of literary space in his works is still relatively little studied. While this paper concentrates only on representation of Russia as peculiar space in Shevchenko's poetry further study of other types of space in his poetry and prose would contribute greatly into development of Shevchenko studies.

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46 East European & Balkan Studies Vol. 38 No. 3 < 국문개요 > 쉐브첸코의시에서나타난초현실적공간으로서의러시아 올레나쉐겔 한국외국어대학교우크라이나어과 본논문은우크라이나의국민시인이라고불리는타라스쉐브첸코의시에서나타난서사공간종류에대해소개하고있으며, 그중초현실적공간으로구분되는도시공간의특성과이러한공간의작품속에서의표현과그의미에대해연구하고있다. 기존의연구는대체적으로쉐브첸코의작품에서목가적인풍경에만집중하고도시공간의묘사가없다고간주하면서이러한공간이존재하지않는다는평까지내린바있다. 그러나본인은쉐브첸코작품에서나타난러시아와그당시러시아의수도이던상트페테르부르크라는공간을분석한결과, 도시는구체적인묘사나명확한명칭이기재되어있지않더라도쉐브첸코의작품들에서잠재적으로존재한다는것을확인할수있었다. 뿐만아니라많은쉐브첸코의작품들에서도시공간과러시아의공간이배경에내포되어있다는사실을파악하는것은그의시작 ( 詩作 ) 의전체적서사공간을더욱깊고정확하게이해하는데에중요한역할을한다. 쉐브첸코의서사공간에는이른바현실세계와초현실세계가함께존재하는데우크라이나만이현실적세계가될수있다. 즉그에게는우크라이나를제외한모든다른공간, 그리고그중러시아와그수도인상트페테르부르크는일종의반 ( 反 ) 세계를뜻하며그것은우크라이나와대비된다. 본인은쉐브첸코의시에서나타난상트페테르부르크의상징적의미와우크라이나민속상징들을비교분석하면서상트페테르부르크가시인에게지독함과잔인성을지닌그리고어떨때는지옥과같은초현실적인세계라는사실을밝혔다. 쉐브첸코시속의러시아는그수도의상트페테르부르크와같은초현실적이미지를가지고있으며신성모독적이고도덕이몰락된공간으로등장한다. 시속에러시아가직접적으로등장하지않을때도쉐브첸코는러시아가우크라이나의비참한현실의원인이라고믿었으며, 분노나서러움의표현을통해그는이두가지의공간을잠재적으로연관시켰다고본다.

Russia as surreal space in literary works of Taras Shevchenko 47 18 논문접수일 : 2014. 6. 6 / 논문심사일 : 2014. 6. 9 / 게재확정일 : 2014. 6. 14 Olena Shchegel, Assistant Professor, Department of Ukrainian Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Research Interest: Ukrainian Linguistics, Ukrainian Literature, Korean Studies, Area Studies, Comparative Literature, e-mail : shchegel@hufs.ac.kr