ŠPECIFIKÁ ROMANTICKÉHO ŽÁNRU DUMY V SLOVENSKOM KONTEXTE

• Authors: Ľubica Somolayová

Title variants

EN

Particularities of the romantic genre of „duma“ in the Slovak context

• Languages of publication: SK

Abstracts

EN

In her study, the author tries to characterize the „duma“ as a genre which is considered typical of Slovak Romanticism, however, it has – surprisingly - remained under researched to date. The „dumas“ by S. B. Hroboň and J. Král were juxtaposed with the genre invariant in Russian and Polish literatures. Originally a long epic form was transformed, probably under the influence of the Polish context, into a short lyric form with a reflective or elegiac tone in the Slovak cultural environment. Instead of the images of heroic battles, battles of ideologies or romantic heroes´ inner struggles are depicted. On the one hand important figures whose deeds should be remembered are celebrated, on the other hand historical failures, the incapability to take advantage of a historical situation for the nation´s benefit are lamented. When a great deed proves to be impossible or an attempted deed fails, what become dominant are messianic tendencies, calls for destruction and anticipation of a great historical change being a destiny or God´s plan fulfilled. Thus, the genre of „duma“ is modified in Slovak Romanticism as a blend of the elegy and the (never written) epos. The primary cause of sorrow and mourning is not a loss, though it is the romantic insufficiency, the absence of an ideal in the material world.

Keywords

EN

ROMANTICISM; POETRY; GENRE; DUMA; ELEGY; SLOVAK LITERATURE

• Publisher: Institute of Slovak Literature, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovenská literatúra (Slovak Literature)
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 112 – 121

Contributors

author

Ľubica Somolayová

• Ústav slovenskej literatúry SAV, Konventná 13, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic