PROPER NAMES OF THE LITERARY HEROES IN THE NOVEL “THE YEAR OF THE HORNET” BY VASYL SHKLIAR AS IMPORTANT MEANS OF FORMING IMAGES

Abstract

The article systematizes proper names of the literary heroes in Vasyl Shkliar’s novel, revealing them as a component of the author’s idiostyle. Our research is relevant because it is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the proper names of the literary heroes functioning in the novel “The Year of the Horne”, and highlights the mythologized layer of proper names; it is established that the namings serve not only as a means of character individualization but also as a primary tool for creating “real mysticism” and historical truth. Our goal is to investigate the proper names of the literary heroes in the novel “The Year of the Hornet” by Vasyl Shkliar and to reveal their role as a key tool in character building; our task is to analyze the semantics of proper names and their origins, as well as to prove that these names successfully characterize the personages. The article examines the specifics of the functioning of proper names of the literary heroes combining real names with mythical ones, through which the author reveals the connection between the generations of the 1920s rebels and modern defenders of Ukraine. The detachment fighters chose the pseudonyms of the famous characters from Lesya Ukrainka’s “The Forest Song” for a reason: a link has been identified between the name (nickname) and the character’s inner world or function. The author plays with the characters’ names, embedding them with corresponding connotations. It is proven that V. Shkliar actively uses nicknames correlated with mythological images to enhance character traits, as well as highlight the psychological features and moral qualities of the heroes within the context of the rebel struggle. It has been established that mytho-anthroponyms serve as an important tool for character development, adding symbolic meaning to the narrative. The characters’ names function as a key mechanism for characterization, blending historical authenticity with the mythopoetic worldview characteristic of the author’s artistic method. Prospects for further research include the study of the proper names of the literary heroes in the novels of contemporary authors.