Self-development of the poetics of Ukrainian Cossack fantasy: Oleksa Storozhenko’s novel “Marko Prokliatyi” & Leonid Kononovych’s novel “Chyhyrynskyi sotnyk”

Introduction. The article is devoted to the results of the research of self-development of the poetics of the Cossack Ukrainian fantasy on the example of Oleksa Storozhenko's novel "Marko Prokliatyi" and Leonid Kononovych's novel "Chyhyrynskyi sotnyk". The purpose of the article is to analyze the natural development of the poetics of Ukrainian Cossack fantasy on the example of Oleksa Storozhen's novel "Marko Prokliatyi" and Leonid Kononovych's "Chyhyrynskyi sotnyk". Materials and methods of research. While working on the article, the author used materials devoted to the following main areas: mythopoetic genesis of Cossack fantasy; history of Ukrainian literature; Cossack fantasy in literary-critical discourse; Ukrainian romanticism; historical figures as prototypes of fantasy characters; fantasy as an artistic phenomenon. The article uses a comparative research method. Results of the research. The author of the scientific research pointed out the main reasons for the writers' appeal to the Cossack entourage and folklore sources as a means of building the literary world - romanticism and national identity. Romanticism laid great potential for the formation of Cossack fantasy and at the same time led to its misunderstanding, both by literary critics and writers themselves, regardless of the time of writing. For example: "Marko Prokliatyi" is perceived as a belated romantic work with critics' reluctance to see "another" Ukraine in the work, and "Chyhyrynskyi sotnyk" is perceived as a knightly novel with a skeptical and even contemptuous attitude of reviewers to the Cossack fantasy genre. Conclusions. The genre of Cossack fantasy is at the stage of full development and the process of separation from Ukrainian romanticism. Oleksa Storozhenko's novel "Marko Prokliatyi" and Leonid Kononovych's "Chyhyrynskyi sotnyk" are vivid examples of the self-movement of poetics of this genre, namely from the parallel functioning of historical authenticity with the unreal to complete sublimation.