THE FOLKLORE COMPONENT OF THE PUBLICATION “BUKVAR YUZHNORUSSKY” (1861) COMPILED BY TARAS SHEVCHENKO

Abstract

The article examines the folklore component of “Bukvar Yuzhnorussky” (1861) – the last publication released during Taras Shevchenko's lifetime, compiled at his own expense for free Sunday schools. Shevchenko, as an ethnopedagogue and enlightener, has traditionally received considerably less scholarly attention than Shevchenko the writer and artist, while the Primer's folklore component, as a deliberate editorial strategy, has yet to be subjected to systematic analysis. The aim of the study is to identify the selection principles, functions, and ideological and conceptual dimensions. The study examines the significance of the folklore texts included in the publication in the context of Shevchenko's educational activities and pedagogical views. The object of the study is “Bukvar Yuzhnorussky,” compiled by Taras Shevchenko and printed in St. Petersburg at the Hogenfeldern and Co. printing house in 1861, comprising 24 illustrated pages. The subject is the publication's folklore component – the dumas about Pyriatyn Oleksiy Popovych and Marusia Marusya the Priest's Daughter Bohuslavka («Duma pro Pyriatynskoho Popovycha Oleksiia», «Duma pro Marusiu Popivnu Bohuslavku» ), and thirteen folk proverbs – examined for their generic, ideological, and functional characteristics. The study draws on methods from folklore studies, ethnopedagogy, didactics, and ethnoculturology, and employs functional, structural- semantic, textological, and contextual approaches. It is established that the selection of specific genres and texts was not a matter of technical convenience but a conceptual decision: through the dumas and proverbs, Shevchenko conveys the central idea of the publication – the power of unity, brotherhood, and devotion to high ideals, steadfast faith, love of one's native land, and respect for family. The scholarly novelty lies in the fact that the Primer is examined for the first time from the perspective of folklore transmission within an educational text, as well as within the broader context of censorship restrictions and colonial pressure, under which the selection of folk works acquired a particular ideological dimension. The study concludes that “Bukvar Yuzhnorussky” (1861), compiled by Taras Shevchenko, represents a significant part not only of the writer's creative legacy but also of Ukrainian educational literature: this Primer was the first Ukrainian- language instructional text in which folklore works were incorporated as a substantive content component rather than a mere illustrative supplement – a practice that subsequently became established as a tradition in Ukrainian primer literature and one of the defining features of the national enlightenment textbook.