3.2 The construction of images in V. Shevchuk's works

The construction of images in Valeriy Shevchuk's works, as we see it, is based on the interpretation of the aspect of significance and vastness. “Symbol appears to be fitting to such quality, that doesn't have any adequate outlines in the former language system.” In these macro-images, according to Ya. Polischyuk you can compute the points on these parallel levels: 1) hero like the symbol of “inner” privacy, character, and personality; 2) symbol of a certain stereotype and social behaviour, certain social positions; 3) symbol of philosophic ideas, abstractions, every day life and creation.

Symbolism of mediation is not the most important factor in the creation of the mythological map of the world because it represents bilateral evidence: first – it's the proof of existence of celestial world, and secondly – proof of extraordinary possibilities of hero's. This role is taken by zoological symbols: bird, spider, bee, cat, goat; botany plants: pine, grass, seed, forest, garden and other. Quite peculiar mediations between mythological worlds symbols like light, miracles, and inspiration also appear. Their transformation you can also observe from lingual mythology if you take into consideration of the initial point. Since the lucky symbolization of the image foresees not its dismissal, but backwards – application, stratifaction on its symbolic invariants. And the more full-blooded the texture of the image looks, the more better the embodiment in its symbolic hidden meaning. Light is the closest to God, and the father of light for the Slovanic people was Svarog. He taught the people craftsmanship and convinced them to live in marriage.

On the length of all of Shevchuk's works you can observe the constant development, responsibilities of the symbols with new meanings. After that the process of symbolization doesn't avoid as if the universal image of the world.

From one point of view the Eye Of The Abyss appears to be a mental image that can be visual or thoughtful.

But from the other point of view it is a certain image that appears to be an expressive conceptional meaning and carries with itself a special responsibility of cultural or world-wide plan, with the help of which the author builds a private artistic expanse. We should concentrate especially on this sign on the models of artistic conditions in Valeriy Shevchuk's novels because the writer most often changes real places of events with unreal (and backwards) and correlates this way the connection with reality and conditions. Except this gender of correlation, the author adds a solid artistic world not just like a view of a separate map with all the characteristic attributive details for it, but like certain ontologies or acsiological version-model Installed. Here appears to be a narrative manner of Shevchuk to always branch geography like this one to a separate life point, the one which literally all planets will circle, galaxies. So there, mythologicalized objects of the geographical plan like literary conditions are located in spontaneous connections according to the mythological cliche.

The situation is especially about the cosmic type of model of the universe, where E. Meletinskyi, M. Eliadius, N, Frai and others are remembered. The Mythological creations of V. Shevchuk lies in especially, where he correctly adds the definite landscape of the idea, original, image of a consolidation model of the world. From one point of view, the effect of the original mythological creation decreases through prediction, expectation of appearance of this or that symbol associated with its parallels. From an other point, the author effectively uses hybrid elements with symbolic-conceptional meanings representing it in its actual micro-scheme. We should take into consideration, that similar literary maneuvers that are distinctive for foreign writers and Ukrainian writers abroad. Images of such a plan in this situation almost every time are considered in mythological-symbolic factors. This is especially used in Valeriy Shevchuk's works, that represents a special image of mythological creations with expressive historical signs.

While reading the Eye Of The Abyss, the line of mythology is represented as the epicentre of life, where life is surrounded in all possible forms. The events in the novels are combined in such a way, that the reader concentrates on the image that obviously strives with reality, but the hero is detached from it. The actualization of the current image serves as reason for turn of events from parts of reality into parts of literary conventions. Thats why the hybrid image procures the additional figures of the sense in resonance, a peculiar chapter of symbolization. The symbolization of water in V. Shevchuk's novels is accompanied by two productive processes, the actual negative and positive connotations: the lake of life and lake of death

In literary aspects of mythology lakes serve as a metaphoric camouflage elements of reality, afterwards its functional meanings to separate the reader from what M. Eliadius calls historical periods. Eliadius says that “water appears to be the key of every creation”. But the Eye Of The Abyss follows all characters and becomes a real place, a devious bridge, the barrier in their path. This symbolic image acquires signs of baroque emblems, a graphic picture that hides in it the phenomena of content. Traditionally it's the phenomena of Gods Eye that sees everything and knows everything. It's the favourite symbol of monastery heraldry. Shevchuk creates new meanings for a traditional symbol which starts to signify very oppositely. In the production it appears like a sphere that includes all active faces. But they are represented as separated from God (Lost). We see the sphere where in a specific way it mentions the image “stomach of the apocalyptic beast” (a collection of short stories by Shevchuk), where people toil trying to reach God. The exact isolation from God symbolizes the abysmal Eye Of The Abyss. So the vector of movement into the direction from God – is never-ending. The main hero Myhailo Vasylevych sees the Eye, but when the divine inspiration leaves him, that's why he went roaming to find it in himself. After passing through the Eye, the hero's verified their belief in God and honesty in their intentions.

M. Eliadius calls another symbol of this myth – an island that is similar to a monastery, actually, the island of pseudo saints. “An island overgrown with quite large trees, under them alder bushes were growing. Alder trees, birches, and there were a few slender pines with gold staffs. The island is lifted upon the level of the swamp quite high, it used to be dry”. So the so called center among the swamp Shevchuk's island appears in the novel “Eye Of The Abyss”. A Mystical center - the place of balance of all oppositions with Gods attendance. It recalls the symbolic island Avallon from Celtic mythology, since according to the meaning of the same mythological paradise, and in a specific extent represents itself a city on water. But the island showed a playing intention to the transformation from the Island of the Blessed to the Island of the Cursed. We see here a game of symbols: the Island of the Cursed appears to be a dangerous place, torture, violence, spells. But, except that, the island like a center collected condensed possibilities of life. Every single hero finds here a resonance of his own line and experience.

This way a built certain system appears, a system that M. Eliadius called “System Of The World”, where these type of factors appear:

a) a holy place like a gap of uniformity of space; b) the gap is symbolized with holes from where one cosmic area transfers into another one; c) the connection with other worlds expressing images connected with general ideas; d) the “Middle of the Earth”, “Navel of the Earth”, around what the earth stretches.