Vasyl Barka's anthropological concept as a manifestation of theocentrism: the phenomenon of personality in the novel “The Yellow Prince” (Volume II)

Abstract

Vasyl Barka's anthropological concept in the novel The Yellow Prince (Volume II) represents the phenomenon of theocentrism through the complex interrelationships between the individual and religious intentions. The article highlights the main aspects of the author's manifestation of the phenomenon of Man in order to highlight the relationship between man and higher powers in the literary context. Vasyl Barka explores the role of the individual in the context of the doctrine and cultural ideas of the era, in particular in the work in question. According to the Christian tradition, a person has high moral standards and needs spiritual improvement. In the novel The Yellow Prince, the author presents his characters as bearers of these moral ideals, as well as vulnerable beings subject to the influence of external circumstances. The article explores the way the author uses the main characters to illustrate this concept, emphasizing the importance of human individuality in the context of the divine plan. The characteristic aspects of the theocentric perspective revealed through the protagonists' figures, their interaction with the world around them, and their spiritual quest are investigated. It is established that the plot and compositional background for the realization of the concept of personality in the novel "The Yellow Prince" is totalitarianism and the Holodomor as a means of exterminating the Ukrainian nation. Thus, the anthropological concept of Vasyl Barka appears in the context of totalitarianism as a system, the essence of which was an "experiment on human nature", an attempt to create its own (distorted!) concept of man. The author offers a deep reflexive analysis of the tragic events and their impact on human nature. The article provides a detailed analysis of the anthropologemes "path", "God", the concepts of "sin", "repentance", "love", and the peculiarities of the author's comprehension of the problems of human existence. The dominants of the interaction of the individual with religious symbols and motifs in the work are traced. Through the study of personalities in the context of internal struggles and the search for heroes, the author reveals the complexity and uniqueness of the human being. The novel reminds us of the importance of moral values and faith in difficult historical circumstances and encourages us to seek spiritual wisdom in the darkest periods of our history. The results of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of Vasyl Barka's anthropological concepts and their influence on the formation of the human image in literature.