„Приспаний народ”. Українська національна рефлексія в ХІХ–ХХ ст.

Abstrakt

“The sleeping nation”. The Ukrainian reflections about the nation in the 19th–21st centuries

The article discusses the metaphor of sleep and related images as an element of persuasive strategies aiming at the formation of the modern national identity. Specific images of sleep as a metaphor, which have been found in Ukrainian newspapers and literature of the 19th–21st centuries are the subject of a detailed analysis. The author has demonstrated that the incessant awakening of the nation proved to be an exceptionally useful and effective figure of speech in the context of the Ukrainian national ideology. However, the romantic vision of the nation, so rich in symbols, was shown to lose its relevance when confronted with challenges of the 21st century. Those who call for anew quality of public discourse vote for achange of the language of the national discourse, wishing to demythologise the sphere of the national culture.