TRANSFORMATION OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND POPULAR LITERATURE IN JESENSKÝ'S CONCEPT OF THE NOVEL - 2ND PART

• Authors: Mikulova M.
• Languages of publication: SK

Abstracts

EN

Janko Jesensky's novel 'Demokrati' (Democrats, vol. I -1924, vol. II -1938) has been interpreted as a political novel. We wanted to prove that it is a hidden autobiography (crypto-text). The inner content of it is determined by sadness and melancholy. Those emotional conditions make an impulse for the author to work out the theme growing in him as a commitment to himself and his parents. Inner motivation of the novel 'Demokrati' was to 'talk out' of his trauma from father's death and what caused it. The causes of his death were of political character. This theme, which was revealed after the documentary testimonies of his contemporaries and also author's personal correspondence, is projected into several characters in the novel - mainly into an advocate Dr. Landik, a politician Petrovic and a banker Rozvalida. The author's rich experiences with high political area gave him a sufficient material to construct satirically critical picture of the setting. It gained him a lot of applause among the readers. The author's goal did not tend to critical correction of the contemporary moral but was based on searching of the traditional morally constants. The world of high policy and society is confronted though values with 'low' social groups such as humanly high valuable character of a cook Hanka and her love relationship with Dr. Landik. Happy-end of that sentimental story is an author's signal that victory of good over the evil belongs to world of popular, low-priced literature, not into reality. The novel can be read though several codes: as an sentimental story, political pamphlet and in inner structure also as author's 'elegiac piece' and life balance message.

Keywords

EN

JESENSKY JANKO; NOVEL DEMOCRATS; SLOVAK PROSE

Discipline

• PHILOLOGY_&_LINGUISTICS: PHILOLOGY & LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Institute of Slovak Literature, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovenská literatúra (Slovak Literature)
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 229-260
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mikulova M.

• M. Mikulova, Ustav slovenskej literatury SAV, Konventna 13, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

08SKAAAA05099688