Slobodianik M. The evolution of Ukrainian visual poetry: receptive aspect

The dissertation is dedicated to the research into peculiarities of perception of Ukrainian visual poetry within three stages of its development: baroque, futuristic, contemporary. The connection between the stages is proved, which shows the continuity of visual poetry tradition in Ukrainian literature. The reader-response theory and the theory of intertextuality are applied to the analysis and proved to contribute to examination of a polyartistic phenomenon of visual poetry. Qualities of the artistic nature of visual poetry are revealed in the work. Visual poetry is presented as a practice culturally entrenched in ancient art and having promising future. Polycode nature of visual poetry is defined as its significative feature which influences patterns of perception. It is shown that visuality is not a genre-poietic feature, therefore visual poetry is not genre (or meta-genre) but a group of poetic works on the periphery of poetry semiosphere with a distinctive sense-making visual format. Visual poetry is defined by simultaneity of perception due to the perfect junction of poetic and graphic, artistic, architectural, mathematical, chess etc. codes without their transformation. The importance of the terms "visual", "curious", "concrete poetry" being distinguished is emphasized. The extent of the weight of visual component is argued to be the criterion for the classification of visual poetic works, which is developed and proposed in the research. It is revealed that different extents of visuality have an impact on models and strategies of perception chosen by a reader of visual poetry. Sign features of visual poetry are investigated basing upon the semiotic theory of Y. Lotman. It is also performed how visual poetry and advertising are bound through the devices of artistic language. The peculiarities of perception of visual poetry in terms of reader-response theory and intertextuality are analyzed throughout the exploration of each stage of Ukrainian visual poetry development. Baroque visual poetry is elucidated through the example of I. Velychkovsky's creative work. The next stage of Ukrainian visual poetry development is futuristic poetry painting presented by M. Semenko's body of work. It is shown that baroque and futuristic visual poetry should be regarded as stages of the same tradition in Ukrainian literature, which can be demonstrated by similarities not only in devices and principles of arrangement, but also in patterns and strategies of perception of these visual poems. The third stage is contemporary visual poetry. Peculiarities of its perception are investigated using the example of works by N. Honchar, V. Zhenchenko, M. Zarichny, I. Iov, I. Luchuk, M. Miroshnychenko and others. Record of achievement in visual poetry of the latest decades demonstrates affinity of contemporary works to both baroque and futuristic visual poems. Therefore, it is safe to state continuity of development and incorporation of previous experience by every next period. Features of visual poetry perception in non-artistic discourse are also brought to light as exemplified by the visual-poetic works being popular during the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. Evolvement trends and evolution of perception of Ukrainian visual poetry are discovered in the work.