Concept of heroism in the fiction about Joan of Arc

Abstract

Aim. The article is dedicated to the study of concept of heroism in the fine literature about Joan of Arc. The aim of the research is to investigate the heroism interpretation specificity basing on the works about French national heroine in English, German, French, Belgian and Ukrainian literatures.

Methods. For this research, the comparative-historical and the cultural-historical methods with the assistance of the characterological and the local-temporal approaches are used. The applied methods made it possible to analyze the concept of heroism in the fine literature about Joan of Arc, especially in the works of European literature.

Results. The heroism interpretation specificity in the works about French national heroine of various literatures, periods and literary schools is considered in this article. There has been elucidated the influence of literature-recipient features on formation and interpretation of heroism in such works and characteristics of author’s interpretation of heroic deed based on the works about Joan of Arc by W. Shakespeare, Voltaire, R. Southey, F. Schiller, B. Shaw, B. Brecht, Ch. Péguy, P. Claudel, M. Maeterlinck, M. Zagirnya, L. Selyanskyj, Lesya Ukrayinka and Yurii Klen.

Scientific novelty. Such comprehensive research of concept of heroism based on works about Joan of Arc by European, including Ukrainian, authors makes it possible to further the study of heroism in fine literature in general and to increase the researching of such concept in other works about French national heroine.

Pactical significance. This article may serve for the further investigation of the concept of heroism in fiction. The results of the research can be used for writing course projects and qualification papers.