THE EMBLEMATIC CODE OF B. BRECHT’S "WAR PRIMER"

Abstract

In times of Russian military aggression against Ukraine the world’s anti-war literary heritage has been particularly relevant. The article analyses the peculiarities of "War Primer" by B. Brecht and its connection with the emblematic traditions of the Baroque era. Hence, "War Primer" resembles a photo album with photographs and commentaries on them. The historical sequence of the depicted events is evident – each photo is accompanied by a commentary, and almost every photo has a caption with reference material at the end of the album. All visual materials were published in Swedish and American newspapers. The combination of visual-iconographic and verbal interpretation along with didactic functions is reminiscent of Baroque emblems. It is particularly noteworthy that the comments on the photographs appear in the form of epigrams. The presented article also includes the translation of the epigrams from German  to Ukrainian as well as an interpretation of the ways in which Brecht created the alienation effect. In addition, the category of chimerism is characterized as a form of combining the real visual and the conventional verbal types of the artist’s comprehension and representation of a certain topic. It is emphasized that emblematism is a form of expression of chimerism. The article focuses on the didactic functions of the created emblems along with the development of a certain topic by the author – Brecht aims to show, characterize, and convey to people the tragedy of war so that it never happens again. From the other perspective, "chimerism" is perceived as a combination of the conventional (a literary work, a plot, or an image that was created in the last century) and the reality: nowadays artistic work exists in a new way, develops, acquires a new interpretation and a new vision.