Intermedial reference in literary works of Jan Bulhak

Authors

Keywords:

intermediality, verbal and visual, art interactions, multi-talent, universalist author, travel essays, memories, portrait, landscape, still life, motive

Abstract

On the basis of literary works of Jan Bulhak (1876–1950) there are investigated the interactions of verbal (literature) and visual (photography) arts. The theory of intermediality stands out as one of the most effective approaches to the study of the problem of the interaction of arts. Two types of intermedial relationships are considered – extra-compositional and intra-compositional. Attention is focused on the phenomenon of a universalist author (multi-talented, Doppelbegabungen) – a creator who combines several practices (literature and painting, literature and music, photography and literature) in his artistic activity. There is shown the phenomenon of intermedial reference in the literary works of Jan Bulhak – the inclusion in the verbal space of the visual genres of portraiture, landscape and still life. It was revealed that in literary works the photo master models three types of portraits – genre, which characterizes the personality in connection with the social and professional environment; psychological, aimed at revealing the inner world of the hero; and staffage, when the portrait fits into the context of the landscape. It is noted that when creating landscape descriptions, Jan Bulhak uses the principles and techniques of visual arts (the principle of a photographic frame, a light motif, the panorama effect, the possibility of colorization) in the memoirs «The Land of Children» and in the travel essays out of cycle «Traveling the Photographer in a Word and Image». It is argued that the verbal still lifes in the memoirs «The Land of Children» affect not only the feelings of the reader (eyesight, hearing, smell, taste), but also reflect the whole cultural and historical layer – life and traditions of the szlachta court of the late 19th century.

Author Biography

  • Marharyta V. Petukhova , The Center for Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature Research, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 1 Surhanava Street, 2 building, Minsk 220072, Belarus

    junior researcher at the department of theory and history of literature

References

  1. Tishunina NV. Zapadnoevropeiskii simvolizm i problema vzaimodeistviya iskusstv: opyt intermedial’nogo analiza [Western European symbolism and the problem of the interaction of arts: an intermediate analysis experience]. Saint Petersburg: Publishing House of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia; 1998. 159 p. Russian.
  2. Hansen-Ljove OA. Intermedial’nost’ v russkoi kul’ture: ot simvolizma k avangardu [Intermediality in Russian culture: from symbolism to the avantgarde]. Moscow: Russian State University for the Humanities; 2016. 450 p. Russian.
  3. Garadnicki JaA. Litaratura jak mastactva: kamunikatywnasc’, intjermedyjal’nasc’, naratywnasc’ [Literature art: communication, intermediality, narrative]. Gnilamjodaw UV, editor. Minsk: Belaruskaja navuka; 2014. 401 p. Belarusian.
  4. Dzichkowskaja N. [Poetics ekphrasisin the story «Labirynty» by Vaclav Lastovsky]. Rodnae slova. 2011;5:29–32. Belarusian.
  5. Bruzgene R. Literature and music: to the classifications of the relations. Perm University Herald. Russian and Foreign Philology. 2009;6:93–99. Russian.
  6. Wasilewska-Chmura M. Przestrzeń intermedialna literatury i muzyki. Kraków: Wydawnictwo WUJ; 2011. 404 s.
  7. Timashkov AYu. [On the history of the concept of intermediality in foreign science]. Fundamental’nye problemy sovremennoi kul’turologii. Tom 3. Kul’turnaya dinamika [Fundamental problems of modern cultural Studies. Volume 3. Cultural dinamics]. Saint Petersburg: Aleteiya; 2008. p. 112–119. Russian.
  8. Generaljuk LS. Universalizm Shevchenka: vzajemodija literatury i mystectv [Universalism of Shevchenko: the interaction of literature and arts]. Kyiv: Naukova dumka; 2008. 544 p. Ukrainian.
  9. Taylor-Terlecka N. Pisarstwo Jana Bułhaka – rekonesans. In: Shved VV, editor. Jan Bulgak i kul’tura zahodnebelaruskaga rjegijonu w kancy XIX st. i da Drugoj susvetnaj vajny [Jan Bulhak and culture of Western Belarusian region at the end of the 19th century and before World War II]. Hrodna: Grodno State University; 2009. p. 20–30.
  10. Valyulis S, Zhvirgzhdas S. [Yan Bulgak. Literary heritage]. In: Shved VV, editor. Jan Bulgak i kul’tura zahodnebelaruskaga rjegijonu w kancy XIX st. i da Drugoj susvetnaj vajny [Jan Bulhak and culture of Western Belarusian region at the end of the 19th century and before World War II]. Hrodna: Grodno State University; 2009. p. 62–67. Russian.
  11. Tracjak II. [Religious motives in the life and work of Jan Bulgak]. In: Shved VV, editor. Jan Bulgak i kul’tura zahodnebelaruskaga rjegijonu w kancy XIX st. i da Drugoj susvetnaj vajny [Jan Bulhak and culture of Western Belarusian region at the end of the 19th century and before World War II]. Hrodna: Grodno State University; 2009. p. 36–42. Belarusian.
  12. Bagdanovich I. [Belarus in poetic interpretation of Jan Bulhak (poem «My land», 1919)]. Acta Albaruthenica. 2005;5:38–43. Belarusian.
  13. Grudzinava MV. [The interaction of words and images in the works of Jan Bulhak]. In: Bushchik VV, editor. Obrazovanie i nauka v Belarusi: aktual’ne problemy i perspektivy razvitiya v XXI veke [Education and science in Belarus: current problems and development prospects in the 21st century]. Minsk: Belarusian State Pedagogical University; 2012. p. 191–195. Belarusian.
  14. Grudzinava M. [Communication verbal and visual in the artistic and literary works of Jan Bulgak and Joseph Drozdovich]. In: Korzeniowski M, Kawalou S, Sajewicz M, editors. Studia Białorutenistyczne. Tom 7. Lublin: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej; 2013. p. 113–124. Belarusian.
  15. Petukhova M. [Ekphrasis in the memories of Jan Bulhak «Edge of childhood»]. In: Bagdanovich IJe, editor. Belaruska-pol’skija mownyja, litaraturnyja, gistarychnyja i kul’turnyja suvjazi [Belarusian-Polish linguistic, literary, historical and cultural ties]. Minsk: Knigazbor; 2015. 214–218. Belarusian.
  16. Petukhova MV. [Harmony text and illustrations in the story of Jan Bulhak «Home»]. Narodnaja asveta. 2015;1:93–96. Belarusian.
  17. Mikhalkovich VI, Stigneev VT. Poetika fotografii [Poetics of photography]. Moscow: Iskusstvo; 1989. 296 p. Russian.
  18. Bułhak J. Fotografika: zarys fotografji artystycznej. Warszawa: Trzaska, Evert i Michalski; 1931. 174 s.
  19. Bulhak J. Kraj dzicjachyh gadow [Land of childhood]. Viarshyckaja TH, translator. Minsk: Belarus’; 2004. 415 p. Belarusian.
  20. Bułhak J. Wycieczka na Świteź. Ziemia. Tom 26. Warszawa: Polskie Towarzystwo Krajoznawcze; 1910. s. 407–410.
  21. Bułhak J. Narodowość w fotografice. W: Almanаch fotografiki wileńskiej. Wilno: Ksiegarnia sw. Woiciecha; 1931. s. 11–14.
  22. Bulhak J. [Travel photographer: Vilna landscape]. [Internet] 2010 [cited 2019 July 27]. Available from: http://www.photoscope.by/history/view/77.html. Belarusian.
  23. Jasiński S. Fotografia ojczysta Jana Bułhaka. Krytyka literacka. 2016;2:5–10.
  24. Bułhak J. Narocz największe jezioro w Polsce: z 38 ilustracjami autora. Wilno: Nakładem Stanisława Turskiego; 1935. 43 p.
  25. Bułhak J. Estetyka światła: zasady fotografiki. Wilno: Polska Drukarnia Artystyczna Grafika; 1936. 279 p.
  26. Burini S. [Typology of a still life in literature (on the material of the 20th century)]. In: Slavica Tergestina. Volume 8. Trieste: [s. n.]; 2000. p. 145–172.

Downloads

Published

2020-02-25

Issue

No. 1 (2020): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology

Section

Literary Research

License

The authors who are published in this journal agree to the following:

  1. The authors retain copyright on the work and provide the journal with the right of first publication of the work on condition of license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial. 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
  2. The authors retain the right to enter into certain contractual agreements relating to the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g. post it on the institutional repository, publication in the book), with the reference to its original publication in this journal.
  3. The authors have the right to post their work on the Internet (e.g. on the institutional store or personal website) prior to and during the review process, conducted by the journal, as this may lead to a productive discussion and a large number of references to this work. (See The Effect of Open Access.)

How to Cite

[1]
Petukhova , M.V. 2020. Intermedial reference in literary works of Jan Bulhak. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Philology. 1 (Feb. 2020), 5–16.