Anafora

Arthur Koestler’s Dichotomy – The Yogi and the Comissar – in Danilo Kiš’s Literary Reflections

Csilla Utasi — 2024-07-18

In Danilo Kiš’s essays and interviews, references to Arthur Koestler’s works multiply after 1978. In his reflections, Kiš not only evokes the trustworthy witness of the twentieth century, but also characterises his own novels and short stories with Koestler’s dichotomy, the contrast between the yogi and the commissar. In his 1942 essay, Koestler contrasts two irreconcilable social attitudes: the yogi, who is observant of existence and aims to maintain his relationship to it, and the commissar, who prioritises social action and wants to change the world. Koestler traced his intellectual trajectory from the position of the commissar to that of the yogi in his two-volume autobiography (Arrow in the Blue, The Invisible Writing). While in prison in Seville, he came to experience the ‘oceanic feeling’ associated with being a yogi. Kiš considered the “metaphysical” experience an inalienable element of the literary work. However, the two authors interpreted the experience of being in very different ways. Koestler gives a scientific-philosophical explanation of the ‘oceanic feeling’. Meanwhile, Kiš’s position can be illuminated by Paul Ricoeur’s study The Hermeneutics of Revelation. According to the author of this work, Kiš shares Ricoeur’s view that the literary work gives one the elementary experience of belonging to the world, but also assigns the task of bearing witness to the horrors of twentieth-century history to poetic discourse.

A Special Type of Pseudonym: Postmodern Apocrypha in Contemporary Hungarian Literature

Zoltán Németh — 2024-07-18

The subject of this paper is a particular type of literary pseudonym, the postmodern apocryphal pseudonym, which uses the name of a classical author and is exposed already at the moment of publication. The paper addresses the theoretical issues of authorship, the problematic of the author’s name, and also discusses the most important works of postmodern Hungarian literature with pseudonyms. The analysis of the works that can be classified as playful postmodern apocrypha leads to the conclusion that the type of pseudonym has a decisive influence on interpretation, and that it is, therefore, essential to distinguish the specific ways in which pseudonyms are used in the texts.

The Concept of Humanity and “Totalitarian Structures” in Thomas Mann’s Novella “The Law” and His Political Essays

Goran Ilić — 2024-07-18

Certain literary scholars prefer the term “totalitarian structures” to more precisely describe the structures in Thomas Mann’s novella “The Law.” The application of this term in literary theory highlights the connection between the novella and the events of the time it was written, as well as the recognition of fascist and Nazi methods. Crafted in America in 1943 during Mann’s exile since 1938, the novella was compared to the German totalitarian regime, and Mann’s methods were closely tied to the rampant war events of the time. This paper explores whether the controversial terms “totalitarian structures” and “totalitarian humanity” are appropriate for a meaningful understanding of Thomas Mann’s novella “The Law.” Additionally, these terms are related to the concept of humanity that Mann formulated after Hitler’s rise to power. This paper also examines Mann’s essays that address democracy and its threats by the emergence of fascist regimes in Europe. The paper also explores relevant literary criticism studies that engage with the novella “The Law.” The main aim is to analyze the political essays of that time and compare Thomas Mann’s essays and his novella “The Law.” These analyses aim to provide a deeper understanding of his worldview and the idea of humanity of that time. To gain a deeper insight into Mann’s intentions during his work on the novella, the paper will also explore his understanding of the concepts of democracy, spirit, and freedom.

The Bridge Motif And Reflexive Thinking. Of The Necessity Of Thoughtfulness In Vukelich’s Der Mann auf der Brücke

Stephanie Jug — 2024-07-18

Wilma Vukelich’s Manuscript Der Mann auf der Brucke was composed in 1955 in Zagreb, one year prior to the death of this German writing author. The title bridge motif is analyzed as a literary motif and a metaphor for reflexive thinking. This reading offers valuable insights into literature, culture and philosophy of the 20th century by showing that thoughtfulness or consideration are highlighted both as endangered structures of thought and as essential for humanity as such. The problem can be identified already in classical works, e. g. in the Faust narrative, but gets a specific expression in the political and social turmoil of the 20th century. The basis for this reading, laid by Clayton Koelb’s interpretation of Franz Kafka’s parabola The Bridge, is broadened and applied to Vukelich’s novel in manuscript form. The analyzed manuscript is read against Vukelich’s life and her other works and the bridge motif investigated in all its facets. Ultimately the interpretation points towards Hannah Arendt’s concept of the truth which lies in limbo, which can be taken as a philosophical and practical application of the here discussed bridge concept.

Puzzles of Destiny and the Constructs of Free Time: A New Historicist Reading of Written POWs’ Testimonials in WWII

Antonija Huljev — 2024-07-18

In the paper, individual prisoners’ destinies and their free time are culturally reconstructed through comparative epistolographic analysis and Greenblattian New Historicist reading of authentic texts by British, Croatian, New Zealand, German, Italian, and Serbian POWs in American, German, and Italian POW camps during WWII. Decoding the comparative historical context proves the undying faith in freedom and the unyielding spirit manifested by the social games, concerts, (censored) camp publishing, theatrical performances, sports competitions, and even teaching, or carpentry and farming activities that were organized in the camps. Since, within a broader scope of POWs’ free time, camp correspondence can be scientifically studied as an important literary medium that also has a pronounced culturohistorical and educational role, the aforementioned methodology specifically describes, comprehends, and interprets the literal meanings and symbolic subtexts of the transcripts of eight authentic, hitherto publicly unavailable, POW letters and postcards. These transcripts, which highlight the general values promoted by the POWs, originate from one American, two German, and one Italian camp. Although the paper does not describe the specific conditions in each camp in detail, the texts of the analyzed letters and postcards, individual descriptions of daily life in a camp—that is, the POWs’ concern for their families and longing for their homes—can therefore, as the documents of time, also serve as credible data and educational material.

Reaffirmation of the Outsider Identity in the Novels U mraku by Ilija Jakovljević and Mladost Tome Ivića by Mate Ujević

Ivana Dizdar — 2024-07-18

This paper explores how the identity of two “outsider” protagonists of selected novels written by Ilija Jakovljević and Mate Ujević is being reaffirmed on the thematic-ideological and expressive level. The analysis will show how well the novels, marked by insufficient and/or delayed reception, fit into Croatian literature of the interwar period and whether they bring any innovations. The hypothesis is that the realist presentation as a technique used by both authors is enhanced by the use of irony as a discursive strategy that can be interpreted in two ways: both as an affirmation of those values advocated by the writers in their programmatic and literary texts and as a negation in the sense of the values’ unsustainability due to the gap with the given hegemonic social values. Such a conclusion is based on explicative and analytical-deductive approaches to the texts as well as on the theoretical assumptions of contemporary researchers of irony and the life and opus of the two writers. The relevance of the topic consists in the (re)examination of the role of interwar literature, whereby the emphasis is placed on insufficiently researched texts and the advocated “soulful” social engagement, which is also (partly) ironized in novels on both individual and collective levels, thus pointing to irony’s potential as a discursive strategy and the importance of the reader as a co-creator of meaning.

Multimodal Cohesion of Luka Bekavac’s Collection Galerija Likovnih Umjetnosti u Osijeku

Ivana Buljubašić Srb — 2024-07-18

Luka Bekavac’s oeuvre Galerija likovnih umjetnosti u Osijeku: studije, ruševine (2017) stands out due to its departure from the genre of the novel and the establishment of the text as a collection of short stories. However, that this is not a conventional collection of short stories in which the texts function completely autonomously, is notable by, among other things, the titular, recurring motif, the narrator, the visual and design choices, which contribute more than other narrative elements to multimodal cohesion. Considering the specific format, design, and typographic-compositional layout of the book, this paper uses the methodological tools of multimodal stylistics to explore and interpret how multimodal cohesion develops in the collection.

Grammar School Book Collection as a Museum Collection

Tihana Lubina — 2024-07-18

This paper explores and analyses as a museum subject the Grammar School book collection from the Museum of Slavonia, formerly known as the Library of the Royal Grammar School in Osijek. An old book can, due to its historic identity, faithfully reflect the historical events of a certain environment and generate new insights that influenced it through time. In this light, selected units of the Grammar School book collection have been analysed with the aim to show that certain items from the collection can function as museum subjects in the new museum reality. This paper confirms that, through their role as active participants in time and space, such museum subjects can communicate with their unique materials (book bindings, decorations, ex libris, dedications, seals, margin notes, and so on) and become an authentic and reliable historic source for future studies of the cultural and historic uniqueness of the Osijek region.

From Innocence to Infection: Interpreting “The Sick Rose” in the Light of the COVID‐19 Crisis

Mostafa A. S. ROSHEED — 2024-07-18

This paper examines the enduring relevance of William Blake’s poem “The Sick Rose” in the context of contemporary challenges, particularly the COVID‐19 pandemic. Despite its pre‐pandemic origin, the poem’s themes of hidden vulnerabilities, obscured intentions, and transient beauty resonate profoundly with current complexities. Through comprehensive analysis of symbolism, the study highlights literature’s adaptability in reflecting evolving human experiences. Slavoj Žižek’s book Pandemic!: COVID‐19 Shakes the World offers a lens to understand these themes, as it explores hidden threats, shattered illusions, global chaos, gradual transformation, and human frailty caused by the pandemic. This analysis magnifies the poem’s resonance, demonstrating literature’s power to mirror shifting human narratives. Ultimately, the research underscores the unbreakable connection between art and life, presenting “The Sick Rose” as a testament to the enduring interplay between artistic expression and the evolving contours of existence.

Chronotope of Utopia: A Bakhtinian Reading in George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945)

Raid Althagafy — 2024-07-18

This article uses Mikhail Bakhtin’s concepts of chronotope and carnivalesque to offer a reading of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The aim of this article is to explore the shared context that influenced the two writers and yielded ways of approaching the Soviet Union and its politics. Circumventing the state censorious practices and contesting the Stalinist regime rather in an indirect engagement, Bakhtin studied the satiric genres and identified the subversive power of the medieval carnivals in which a temporary suspension of temporal hierarchies is enacted in attempt to use history to discretely entice revolutionary sentiments in the Soviets. Similarly, not only to avoid the precarious repercussions of a direct engagement with British foreign diplomacy, Orwell’s chose the beast fable, which is intended to be satirical but also, as this article argues, in alignment with Bakhtin’s concept of the carnivalesque. It is not only employed in the form of the fable genre, but in the exercise of carnival rituals by the farm animals that take on the role of the humans to manage their affairs in a Marxist manner. Furthermore, this article examines the concept of chronotope to allow for creating an intricate relationship between space and time in a given reality and define a historical moment in the reality of the barn. It initially and satirically becomes a chronotope of utopia which does not last long to turn into a dystopian spatiality in which the fair and equitable society that has been earlier promised gets replaced by an authoritarian rule. This shows that Bakhtin’s concepts of chronotope and carnivalesque in Animal Farm move the dialects of capitalism and socialism to a satiric genre meant to transcend its value of universality.

Proza iz „kule od bjelokosti“ – od dokumenta do kritike vremena. Jadranka Zlomislić, Politics in the Ivory Towers: The American Academic Novel 1950–1980, Filozofski fakultet, Osijek, 2023., 152 str.

Sanja Runtić — 2024-07-18

Proza iz „kule od bjelokosti“ – od dokumenta do kritike vremena. Jadranka Zlomislić, Politics in the Ivory Towers: The American Academic Novel 1950–1980, Filozofski fakultet, Osijek, 2023., 152 str.

Polidiskurzivna studija o interpretaciji (suvremene) poezije. Nedžad Ibrahimović, (Či)talac lirske pjesme. Tumačenje savremene poezije, Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Podgorica, 2022.

Ivan Šunjić — 2024-07-18

Polidiskurzivna studija o interpretaciji (suvremene) poezije. Nedžad Ibrahimović, (Či)talac lirske pjesme. Tumačenje savremene poezije, Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, Podgorica, 2022.

Zrcalo i znak. O bosanskohercegovačkoj teatrologiji druge polovice 20. stoljeća. Tina Laco, Bosanskohercegovačka teatrologija nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, Muzej književnosti i pozorišne umjetnosti BiH, Sarajevo, 2022.

Perina Meić — 2024-07-18

Zrcalo i znak. O bosanskohercegovačkoj teatrologiji druge polovice 20. stoljeća. Tina Laco, Bosanskohercegovačka teatrologija nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, Muzej književnosti i pozorišne umjetnosti BiH, Sarajevo, 2022.

Eine Lyrikanthologie nicht nur für GermanistInnen. Pod jednim zvonom dva jezika. Antologija hrvatske i njemačke suvremene lirike. / Zwei Sprachen unter einer Glocke. Anthologie der kroatischen und deutschen zeitgenössischen Lyrik, Ogranak Matice hrvatske,

Marijana Erstić — 2024-07-18

Eine Lyrikanthologie nicht nur für GermanistInnen. Pod jednim zvonom dva jezika. Antologija hrvatske i njemačke suvremene lirike. / Zwei Sprachen unter einer Glocke. Anthologie der kroatischen und deutschen zeitgenössischen Lyrik, Ogranak Matice hrvatske, Križevci, 2020.