AIMAN -SHOLPAN: THE INTERSECTION OF FOLKLORE TRADITION AND MODERN APPROACHES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53360/3080-387X-2026-1-2(6)-104-117Keywords:
poem, text, plot, motive, image, folklore, hero.Abstract
The article provides an extensive analysis of the scholarly perspectives on the poem «Aiman-
Sholpan» that have developed from the 19th to the 21st century. It identifies how researchers’ genre classifications have
changed over time, interpreting the work as a lyrical epic, a love narrative, a ballad-type story, a historical epic poem, or
a dastan. The study also notes that only one version of the poem has survived and that it was published multiple times in
Kazan editions. The main scholarly viewpoints of S.A. Kaskabasov, M. Gabdullin, K. Zhumaliev, M.O. Auezov, and
M. Akynzhanov are compared, highlighting their distinct approaches to genre, historical context, and poetic analysis.
Particular attention is given to systematizing scholarly views on conflicting notions about the poem’s characters (the
image of Kotibar, Aiman as a new model of the female character, and the confrontation between tradition and
modernity). The article focuses on the poem’s historical foundation, its compositional structure, the socio-ideological
implications of its characters, and its assessment as a text at the intersection of folklore tradition and modernity. The
study demonstrates the complexity of the genre nature of Aiman-Sholpan and confirms that scholars of different periods
have consistently viewed it as a multilayered epic work. In addition, Aiman-Sholpan serves not only as a work of art,
but also as a guardian of the spiritual and cultural memory of the people, a carrier of aesthetic taste and moral values.
The results of the study allow a deeper understanding of the relationship between Kazakh folklore and written literature,
as well as literary and theoretical systematization.
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