NATURALISM IN LITERATURE AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIOLOGY AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY: MUTUAL INFLUENCE

Abstract

The relationship between literary works of the naturalist period and sociological issues of the late 19th century is analyzed in the article. It is determined that Ukrainian sociologists of the late 19th century and Ukrainian naturalist writers knew each other and were also acquainted with Ivan Franko, the leading figure in Ukrainian society at the time and the founder of the naturalist style in Ukraine. This allows us to establish a connection between literature and the scientific understanding of social reality in the late 19th century. The study reveals the close connection between the work of Ukrainian natural science writers and key tenets of sociological scholarship of that time, as well as the connections between these individuals – Ivan Franko, Mykhailo Dragomanov, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Bohdan Kostyakovsky, Kost’ Srokovsky, Mykhailo Mohylyansky, Stefan Kovaliv. Their interactions were constant, capturing the most complex instances of social interactions. We also see the constant influence of these individuals on one another, shaping the views of both sociologists and writers. An analysis of the sociological situation allowed us to think about the influence of naturalism on the development of sociology in Ukraine in the second half of the 19th century. The naturalistic methods used by Ukrainian naturalist writers, especially photographic and documentary reproduction, are, on the one side, fully consistent with the methods of sociological science, which are focused on exposing the greatest challenges of Ukrainians’ daily existence – the lack of money, unpaid labor, and the resulting deterioration of relationships with employers. On the other hand, literary works are becoming an archival source for modern researchers not only in the field of sociology, but also in the field of history and ethnography.