The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010

Burlesque as a literary device can serve for satirical purpose, but its main function is revealed in the provocation of carnivalesque ambivalence. Unlike satire, where an author remains serious, carnival laughter captures everyone, including its provocateur. This is exuberant laughter that affirms...

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Main Author: Rostyslav Semkiv
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy 2015-09-01
Series:Kyiv-Mohyla Humanities Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://kmhj.ukma.edu.ua/article/view/51041
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author Rostyslav Semkiv
author_facet Rostyslav Semkiv
author_sort Rostyslav Semkiv
collection DOAJ
description Burlesque as a literary device can serve for satirical purpose, but its main function is revealed in the provocation of carnivalesque ambivalence. Unlike satire, where an author remains serious, carnival laughter captures everyone, including its provocateur. This is exuberant laughter that affirms the joyful fact of very human existence. The use of burlesque in Ukrainian literature does not refer to a certain epoch, but forms a continuous and powerful tradition. In the middle of the 1980s, with the liberalization of Ukrainian society, literature steadily turned away from a purely utilitarian role, and burlesque returned, as a device of free and unrepressed laughter. The “Bu-Ba-Bu” literary group, Yuri Vynnychuk, Les Poderviansky, Mukhailo Brynykh most actively elaborate burlesque in their writings, either in a carnival context, or as a device of satire. Thus, the burlesque tradition is quite visible and influential in contemporary Ukrainian literature.
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spelling doaj.art-86fcc3e70b4c4c9688b89993b3747ce72022-12-21T22:08:04ZengNational University of Kyiv-Mohyla AcademyKyiv-Mohyla Humanities Journal2313-48952015-09-012109120https://doi.org/10.18523/kmhj51041.2015-2.109-120The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010Rostyslav SemkivBurlesque as a literary device can serve for satirical purpose, but its main function is revealed in the provocation of carnivalesque ambivalence. Unlike satire, where an author remains serious, carnival laughter captures everyone, including its provocateur. This is exuberant laughter that affirms the joyful fact of very human existence. The use of burlesque in Ukrainian literature does not refer to a certain epoch, but forms a continuous and powerful tradition. In the middle of the 1980s, with the liberalization of Ukrainian society, literature steadily turned away from a purely utilitarian role, and burlesque returned, as a device of free and unrepressed laughter. The “Bu-Ba-Bu” literary group, Yuri Vynnychuk, Les Poderviansky, Mukhailo Brynykh most actively elaborate burlesque in their writings, either in a carnival context, or as a device of satire. Thus, the burlesque tradition is quite visible and influential in contemporary Ukrainian literature.http://kmhj.ukma.edu.ua/article/view/51041burlesquecarnival laughtersatirecontemporary ukrainian literature
spellingShingle Rostyslav Semkiv
The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
Kyiv-Mohyla Humanities Journal
burlesque
carnival laughter
satire
contemporary ukrainian literature
title The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
title_full The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
title_fullStr The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
title_full_unstemmed The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
title_short The Return of Burlesque: Comic Forms in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature, 1985–2010
title_sort return of burlesque comic forms in contemporary ukrainian literature 1985 2010
topic burlesque
carnival laughter
satire
contemporary ukrainian literature
url http://kmhj.ukma.edu.ua/article/view/51041
work_keys_str_mv AT rostyslavsemkiv thereturnofburlesquecomicformsincontemporaryukrainianliterature19852010
AT rostyslavsemkiv returnofburlesquecomicformsincontemporaryukrainianliterature19852010