The book provides a historical and philological analysis of the plays by Lesya Ukrainka in which the ideas of the liberation struggle are embodied in an artistic form, along with the associated themes and binary oppositions of freedom / slavery, national loyalty / national betrayal, steadfastness in battle / weakness in captivity, and independent / dependent liberation. The study also examines the reflection of the writer's views on socialism in the symbolic-meaning structure of the plays, particularly her polemic with the Marxist doctrine of proletarian internationalism—the utopian project of creating a global, stateless, and classless society. The prophetic visions of impending socio-political catastrophe and the threat of new forms of despotism are reflected in the images of ideological fanatics, false prophets, and political demagogues in the plays In the Catacombs, Rufinus and Priscilla, and Cassandra.

This edition is intended for a wide readership, especially those interested in the works of Lesya Ukrainka.

224 pages. Hardcover.