THE PROBLEMS OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE POETIC FORMS OF THE EPIC “DZHANGAR”

Abstract

The problems of the evolution of poetic forms and epic historicism are some of the topical issues in epic science. Historical-genetic and historical-typological studies of epic monuments allow systematically at the diachronic and synchronous levels to trace the historical and aesthetic dynamics of the national epic. Considering the fact that the evolution of folklore is determined by the regularities of the historical-typological nature, realized within the framework of an integral tradition, which is poly-stage and polygenetic in nature, we face the task of considering the development of the epic “Dzhangar” and its forms. One of the important problems is the problem of establishing patterns of development of the epic, studying not only its artistic form, but also those natural changes that it has undergone. The problems of historicism of the epic forms of Dzhangariada in this study are considered in the evolutionary development from ancient to late – the heroic myth, the heroic tale, the archaic epic, the classical epic, the epic cycle, the late heroic tale, and the processes of transformation and secondary archaization. In its historical and aesthetic dynamics of the epic “Dzhangar” the evolutionary way of development has passed from the ancient forms of the “fantastic hero epic” to the cyclized epic. The peak of the evolutionary development of the epic “Dzhangar” is marked by “concentric cyclization” associated with the manifestation of ethnic self-awareness and historical processes of tribal consolidation and early state formations. Of particular importance is the Central Asian and local ethnic traditions within which the epic “Dzhangar” was formed and lived. The author comes to the conclusion that the historicism and evolution of the poetic forms of the epic “Dzhangar” is due to the poetic and visionary peculiarities of its historicism and the specifics of the development of ethnic culture. Despite the variability of artistic and poetic forms, the epic “Dzhangar”, possessing a poly-stadial nature, inherits rudimentary archaic features on the level of subjects and motifs and is recreated on the basis of traditional elements in genre models and canons, having received creative processing in new historical conditions. In the long term, on this issue, comparative-typological studies of the national versions of the “Dzhangar”, should be conducted with the involvement of the monuments of the Central Asian epic tradition.

Acknowledgements: The article was prepared within the framework of the research work of the Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Folklore of Mongolian-speaking peoples: texts and studies” (State Registration No. AAAA-A17-117030910099-8).

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