Nikolai Gogol's and Juliusz Slowacki's Ukraine: self-creative processes

This dissertation explores the construction of Ukrainian identity in the private letters of Nikolai Gogol and Juliusz Słowacki. Both authors are examined within the literary context as key figures of the Ukrainian school in Russian and Polish literature. The thesis’s main objectives include drawing parallels between Ukrainian identity within the Polish and Russian literary contexts while considering alternative identifications outside a strictly national framework. The study seeks to move beyond the binary opposition of two national identities and instead aims to preserve both syncretism and hierarchical dynamics. This dissertation employs a postcolonial approach to examine the 19thcentury relationships between Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. The analysis focuses on the private correspondence of Gogol and Słowacki through close reading of their letters. Regarding the corpora, the 1952 edition of Gogol’s Complete Collection of Works and the 1962 edition of Słowacki’s correspondence, edited by Eugeniusz Sawrymowicz, have been considered. Methodological concepts such as self-creation and accommodation are applied to explore how the authors constructed and negotiated their identities within their epistolary writings. The analysis revealed that Gogol’s correspondence demonstrates a strong interplay between Ukrainianness, morality, and class. Gogol adapts his identity based on his correspondents' backgrounds, performing di􀆯erent identities depending on their origins. His view of Ukrainianness remains prenational, shaped by local rather than national a􀆯iliations. In contrast, Słowacki’s portrayal of Ukrainianness is more pronounced in his literary works than in his personal letters. The relationship between Ukrainian and Polish identities in Słowacki’s writings is influenced by the social hierarchies in right-bank Ukraine. The thesis demonstrates that framing Gogol and Słowacki primarily within Russian, Polish, or Ukrainian national canons is limiting. A historical perspective requires a broader interpretation of Ukrainianness, incorporating the concept of “national indi􀆯erence.” Using letters as a medium proved particularly e􀆯ective in Gogol’s case, revealing strategies of accommodation and how he tailored his selfpresentation depending on his correspondents. This study contributes to understanding identity construction in a prenational context.