Відлуння карнавалу в літературі західноєвропейського Середньовіччя та Відродження

UKR: Розглядається взаємозв’язок і паралелі між карнавалом і літературою як явищами культури західноєвропейського Середньовіччя та Відродження. Робиться акцент не на власне літературознавчому, а на філософському та культурологічному аспекті проблеми. Робиться спроба розглянути вплив карнавалу на формування масової культури.

ENG: This paper examines the interplay and parallels between carnival and literature as cultural phenomena of the Western European Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The focus is not on the purely literary aspect, but rather on the philosophical and cultural studies dimension of the problem. An attempt is made to analyze the influence of the carnival on the formation of mass culture. Culture, in this context, is viewed in the unity of all its components and manifestations, as a holistic entity, regardless of any internal contradictions it may possess. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance are considered as a single spatio-temporal continuum. During this era, a collision, intertwining, and synthesis of different cultural manifestations, concepts, and relations took place: Antiquity, Christianity, and barbarism; the high and the low; the sacred and the profane; the comical and the terrifying. Ambivalence is considered one of the most important properties of culture, the very foundation of culture as such. The ambivalence of culture emerges as the main prerequisite for the emergence of carnival-type celebrations. The most essential features of the carnival are highlighted: desacralization, corporeality, and mass character. The carnivalesque worldview has always been present in folk culture. However, carnival celebrations in Western Europe became most widespread in cities. In the Middle Ages, the carnival appears, first and foremost, as a phenomenon of urban culture. In the cities, the masses began to form; an awakening of the masses took place. Artistic literature emerges as both a result and a manifestation of secularization. By this very fact, it is inherently linked to the phenomenon of the carnival. Carnivalesque motifs, images, and techniques penetrated the literature of various genres during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The manifestations of the carnivalesque in literature are examined, showcasing the characteristic features of the carnivalesque worldview and the peculiarities of carnivalesque stylistics. It is precisely in the phenomenon of the carnival and its influence on literature that the origins of modern mass culture can be found.