This Thesis is the first systematic research of the baroque epigram created by Ivan Velychkovsky, placed in the notebook “anthologies”, poetry collections “Zegar with a half-zegarok” (1690) and “Milk from the sheep to the Shepherd owed” (1691), as well as poetical samples outside the cycles in their genre and stylistic aspect. Our dissertation research is designed to trace and summarize the history of studying Ivan Velichkovsky’s life and creative activity, to outline the historical and theoretical aspects and features of the European Baroque epigram poetics, and to outline the range of ideas and images in Ivan Velichkovsky’s epigrammatic heritage and also to trace the presence of a common European baroque topoi and similar (mainly biblical) emblematics in the works of Old Ukrainian poet. In our research we also made an attempt of a genre classification of Ivan Velychkovsky’s epigrammatic array, which contains more than 500 both authorial and translated poems, written in syllabic verse, we used the currently available collections of the poet’s works, including the most complete edition of Works (1972) and a row of anthologies. We paid considerable attention in particular to the emblematic cycle of poems by Ivan Velychkovsky “Poems on the Gospel for Icon Painters”, the preaching cycle of epigrams “Poems on the Apocalypse”, well-known collections (1690-1691): “Milk from the sheep to the shepherd owed” and “Zegar whole and semi-zegarok”. A certain number of selected out-of-cycle gnomic, philosophical and didactic epigrams were also analyzed, as well as dialogical, didactic, liturgical-prayer and parable type. In addition to the epigrams’ genre classification, we also conducted an analysis of Ivan Velychkovsky’s poetic heritage, in view of the common emblems, and the system of images in comparison with European epigrammatic samples of the Baroque era. To achieve this goal, we used selected epigrammatic works of English and German Baroque poets. Also in the dissertation research the level of baroque stylistics influence on the epigrammatic work of Ivan Velychkovsky is established. We have consistently analyzed the works of the poet-priest in view of the basic Baroque style principles (contrast, unity of opposites, allegorical reproduction of reality, etc.) and the frequency of use of the tropes’ system (metaphors, personifications, alliterations, etc.) characteristic for the Baroque period. The dissertation work also examines the main features of the national identity of the worldview of Ivan Velychkovsky, characteristic of the historical and cultural background of the time, such as the organic synthesis of ancient and partly European theology and philosophy of that time with Byzantine patristic and Scripture. The educated men of the time, to whom Velychkovsky also belonged, were free to write poetry not only in Old Ukrainian or Church Slavonic, but also in Polish and Latin. Also in our work we briefly outlined the importance of the Polish language, both for Ukrainian Baroque literature in general and for Ivan Velychkovsky in particular. Then we consider the collection of carmina curiosa “Milk…” as a source of literary terminology, sometimes of Ivan Velychkovsky’s own invention. Based on our research and the review of existing studies on Velychkovsky, we concluded that the epigrammatic legacy of Poltava priest Ioan includes a fairly wide range of genres. Moreover, most of them are widely represented in the European Baroque (in English, German, Spanish and, of course, Polish literature) and are characterized by a common topic and the inclusion of common biblical emblems, as well as emblems of socio-didactic line. A detailed analysis of the poet’s works indicates his use of the most common expression means, characteristic for the Baroque era. Our conclusions will allow readers to better understand the genre and stylistic features of the XVII century Ukrainian epigram and of poetry by Ivan Velychkovsky in particular, those that connect it with the common European context of the time, as well as those characteristics that make it a unique phenomenon of the national Baroque. The practical significance of our thesis is that the obtained results and conclusions can be used in the further investigation of Ukrainian literary studies, in particular for the analysis of the literary process of the Baroque period (XVIІ–XVIIІ centuries).
