REALITY, DREAM AND FANTASY IN THE SELECTION «THE NIGHT OF POLASTRI» BY ALBERT AYGUESPARSE

Abstract

Aim. The paper examines lexico-grammatical and syntactic specificity of the third novelistic collection by Albert Ayguesparse (1900–1996) – one of the more prominent Belgian Francophone writers of the 20^th c. It aims at outlining the more important characteristics of individual novellas in the selection, where the reader comes to know the polyphony of the writer’s short prose, moving from Lyrical Realism through tragic episodes of life to the enigmatic and the fantastic. Research methodology. The article employs a systematic approach with the use of literary-historical and comparative methods. On the basis of these two methods, the specificity of the author’s writing, syntactic structure of the text, individualized language of the characters, places of the light-and-shadow, voice-and-silence, life-and-death playing have been determined. Results. The study provides a wider analysis of the selection’s first novella, viz. «Monica sans tête» [«Monica Without the Head»], as well as the novellas «Les Bottes» [«The High Boots»], full of horror stories; «Le Point rouge» [«The Red Spot»], presenting an interest by the functioning of the internal dialogue; the psychological triptych «Les chasses d’Eros» [«The Hunts of Eros»], «Je me nomme Jérôme» [«My Name Is Jérôme»], «Monsieur Oscar» [«Mr. Oscar»], the mystic in its conception novella «Les Survivants» [«Those Who Survived»]. Research novelty. The article is the first in Ukrainian Literary Studies research into the famous Belgian writer’s novellas, with whose novels the Ukrainian reader got acquainted owing to the translation of his work «Notre ombre nous précède» [«Our Shadow’s Ahead»], published in 1984/1985 on the pages of the «Vitchyzna» [«Motherland»] magazine. Practical value. The article may become the basis for a deeper reading of the work of one of the leading representatives of contemporary Belgian Francophone literature, lexical-stylistic features of the writer’s novellas.