FEATURES OF THE PRAGMATIC MODEL OF BEING IN VALERIAN PIDMOHYLYNYI’S NOVEL A LITTLE DRAMA

Abstract

The article explores the specific features of the pragmatic model of being in Valerian Pidmohylnyi’s novel A Little Drama, regarded as one of the key works of Ukrainian prose of the 1920s. Drawing on the concept of the “artistic model of being” (N. Astrakhan, S. Lushchii), the study traces how, within the sociocultural transformations of the epoch, the system of characters’ values oscillates between romantic ideals and rationalist utilitarianism. The focus is placed on the pragmatic model, grounded in the dominance of ratio, usefulness, career advancement, and an instrumental attitude towards others. It has been established that the pragmatic model of being in the novel demonstrates a complex system of manifestations, the core features of which include rationality, self-interest, striving for stability, emotional detachment, instrumentalism in interpersonal relations, prioritization of social status, reduction of feelings to physiology, as well as conformism and adaptability. On the basis of the novel’s character system, different variants of this model are analyzed: from the rationalist worldview of the scientist Yurii Slavenko and the prudence of Iren Markevych to the petty-bourgeois strategies of Andrii Bezpalko and Davyd Ivanchuk, along with the pragmatic outlook of engineer Dmytro Stainychnyi. The analysis shows that even romantic figures (Marta Vysotska, Liova Rotter), in critical life situations, tend to resort to pragmatic decisions. It is revealed that the pragmatic model in the novel reflects a crisis of humanity under conditions of rationalization in both public and private life, while simultaneously acquiring the traits of an adaptive strategy of the individual. In this context, love relationships become a test for the characters: for some – a source of spiritual growth, for others – an obstacle to career success. The article suggests that the pragmatic model of being in Pidmohylnyi’s novel is not only socially conditioned but also functions as a universal existential behavioral strategy, which demonstrates a contradictory synthesis of individual choice and social determinants.