MAGICAL REALISM IN THE COMPARATIVE CONTEXT

This paper considers to what extent contemporary discourses about magical realism might contribute to a comparative understanding of the works of Milorad Pavić, especially his novel Dictionary of the Khazars. Comparative analysis of elements of magical realism in Pavić’s exemplary novel reveals characteristics of both European and Latin American forms of magical realism. Therefore, the paper places Pavić’s novel into the context of magical realism

Interkulturni potencijali nematerijalne kulturne baštine u Koreji: egzistencijaliziranje iskustva i kreativna ekonomija

In this paper we want to thematize intangible cultural heritage under the aspects of its protection and representative function in promoting Korean culture around the world. We are further interested in its implementation within the newly promoted concept of creative economy aiming at the self-sustainability of the Korean economy and the creation of new jobs. Korean heritage is seen as a pragmatic tool for the realization of this goal, offering various cultural experiences to the tourists looking for authentic existential experiences, or to Koreans who are willing to learn their own culture anew. In addition, in the intercultural domains, where various encounters between Korean and Western artists are taking place, we are witnessing diverse con-creative processes leading to new artistic and cultural forms that are more attractive to the young Korean audience, lacking immediate experience of the old Korean tradition. We substantiate our thesis through several examples of small case studies in Buddhist temples, the Confucian Academy, Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Center and on the Nori Madang performance ground.U ovome radu riječ je o nematerijalnoj kulturnoj baštini i mogućnostima njezine zaštite i reprezentativne funkcije u promoviranju korejske kulture diljem svijeta ali i primjene u kontekstu kreativne ekonomije i razvoja samoodrživosti te turističke ponude kao njezinoga važnog konstitutivnog dijela. Tematizira se i pitanje egzistencijalne autentičnosti u iskustvima turista u susretu sa stranom kulturom, potom problem susreta s Drugim u odnosu na rastuće multikulturne strukture u korejskom društvu i interkulturne susrete u njihovom društvenom aspektu, jednako kao i “događajnost” iskušena i učinjena vidljivom konkreativnim dijaloškim procesima u stvaranju novih umjetničkih oblika. Na temelju nekoliko studija slučaja o raznolikim oblicima očuvanja baštine – u buddhističkim hramovima (Beongwonsa i Geumseonsa), Konfucijanskoj akademiji (Sosuseowon), seulskom Centru za nematerijalnu kulturnu baštinu (Gyoyukjeonsijang) te na otvorenoj pozornici Nori Madang, namijenjenoj izvedbama glazbe i plesa uvrštenih na popis nematerijalne kulturne baštine – nastoje se pokazati ambivalentnosti i proturječja njegovanja tradicije izvan konteksta negdašnjih izvedbi, koji su nestali u procesima obnove, industrijalizacije i modernizacije korejskog društva nakon japanske kolonizacije (1910–1945) i Korejskog rata (1950–1953). Proces baštinizacije, provođen od početka 1960-ih uz potporu i nadzor državne administracije, doveo je do izrazite petrifikacije i profesionalizacije tradicije te stvaranja novih, sofisticiranih i visokoumjetničkih oblika skraćena trajanja, koji se izvode u novim kontekstima, s novim značenjima i funkcijama

Intertextuality, interdiscursivity and intermediality in the contemporary Korean novel: examples from Han Kang’s novels and lyric prose

This article focuses on issues of intermediality and interdiscursivity in contemporary literature of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). In first part of this work the questions of intertextuality, inter-medial communication and inter-discourse are discussed and major hypothesis is presented at the theoretical level of discussion. Simultaneously with laying out theoretical apparatus and argumentation for interpretative process, the critical discussion of some of the statements presented by Eric Méchoullan (2015) is undertaken, particularly his take on “arts of transmission”. Following theoretical elaboration, the short overview of contemporary policies in the field of culture and representation in Korean context are both discussed and critically examined. In that respect, the discursive framework for analytical aspect of this work is presented in both national and international context. In second part of the article a short history of modern Korean literature is presented with the aim to further supply interpreters with discursive and contextual frame for analysing contemporary intermedially framed and critically acclaimed works of literature. By presenting the context and discursive setting which enabled the turn from modern to postmodern and/or traditionally marked and framed towards intermedially and globally embedded, the argument opens the room for critical discussion and interpretation of both tactics and ideology of contemporary Korean prose. It is argued here that, while allying towards the genealogy of contemporary internationally acclaimed processes and techniques, the ideology and narrative tendencies of Korean prose utterance are still very much locally marked. That leads us to the conclusion that the language itself, while being translated into another medium (an Indo-European language, as, for example here we are talking about English translations) becomes not only translated but also appropriated into “another medium” and its discursive hegemonic order(s). In that respect interpretative potential of text(s) multiply. This is the starting point of central, which is also final part of this article. In that chapter three books by 2016 International Booker Prise winner, Han Kang, are discussed and read within above set and presented frame, or discursive network of diversely valued settings. We focus on novels Vegetarian (original written in 2007 in Korean, published in English translation in 2015) and Human Acts (2015 in Korean, 2016 in English), while also including exegetic reading of most recent of her books, The White Book (Korean original 2016, English translation 2017). The focus of interpretation is on multiplication of layers which represent the focus of attention in first in Korean and then in English (Eurocentric) reading(s). Towards the end we conclude that while text could be read in respective discursive frames exclusively, there also exists a certain openness towards other options (mediums, discourses, types of intertextual standpoint) which allows the study of intermedial technics and usage of other media to change the effects of textual representation(s)

Reflections on the Far Eastern Cultures in the Works of Tin Ujević

The works of Tin Ujević, one of the eminent Croatian poets, have been a subject of numerous analyses and interpretations. Many have noted that the theme of the East – subjects of Asian religions and philosophy – claims an important place in his works, essays and poetry, not only in terms of the number of the works Ujević wrote upon these subjects, but also in terms of the influence they exerted upon his entire poetry oeuvre. In the body of Eastern themes and motifs, the central place in Ujević’s opus is occupied by India and the Indian religious-philosophical teachings of Buddhism and Brahmanism. This was, to different extents, emphasized by many commentators of Ujević’s work. However, when the East is discussed as a topic in Tin Ujević’s work, less attention is paid to the influences of the Far East cultures of Japan and China, notwithstanding the fact that among Ujević’s essays a number of works dedicated to these cultures and ideas is rather prominent. His essays dedicated to the cultures and philosophies of the Far East include two types of texts. A number of reflections on the societies, histories and cultures of Japan and China are written in an informative and feuilletonist manner. Nevertheless, a number of essays testify to Ujević’s deeper interest in the Far East, but also to the influences that the cultures of the Far East, notably China, had on his work. They were also reflected in his attitudes towards the art and poetry as such. This paper explores Ujević’s views on the cultures and traditions of China and Japan and, especially, the ways in which the Chinese teachings of Confucianism and Taoism affected Ujević’s work

Expandability and limitations of films – an intermediary perspective on literature and film

Film has changed our way of perceiving reality and the world; it substitutes for the traditional realms of humanities, such as literature, history, philosophy and even exceeds the ability of these realms. In addition, as a new medium film reflects human life, often criticizes the society of the period and thus brings about the reformation of reality, and furthermore, it presents an image of the future through the presentation of the past. Therefore, it is difficult to find a contemporary art form that has more influence than film. Film, which deprives the literature of its role, is ironically based on that very literature, so that we can observe the reversal phenomenon at work between film and literary works. We understand that film and literature have influenced each other in the past and at present; however, film shows much more influence on the public than literature in terms of its role and mass appeal. Is there then no limit to so-called ‘trans-film’ that wields absolute power in modern society? Is there an impossibility of a film that plays the role of human studies better than human studies themselves? Can every expression of the literary be materialized in film? Abstract ideas, materialized thought, and the convoluted logic expressed without difficulty in literature cannot be easily shown on film. The more important issue and limits of film lie in its inherent conditions. Film is the only art medium which is born in the background of the industrial society and the capital. For film, economic interests take priority over the esthetic perspective. Therefore, social criticism films, artistic films and experimental films would be marginalized, and the chances of film to show social responsibility and critical consciousness would decline. The limitations of film are due to its commercial nature. The government and cultural authorities ought to suggest an institutional strategy to overcome the limitations of film, which is a way of recognizing reality and expanding social communication. Furthermore, it is also a way of making an authentic ‘trans-film’

Sokollu Mehmed-Pasha and the South Slavic Identity Politics in the Nineteenth Century

The nineteenth century was a period of national awakening in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. For all three nations, creating the national identity meant creating national history and mythos as well. The iconic personality that reflects this process was Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (1506−1579). Originally from Bosnia, he made a stellar political career in the Ottoman Empire. He was the Grand Vizier from 1565 to 1579, and remained in the office during the reign of three sultans: Suleiman the Magnificant, Selim II and Murad III. According to many historians, he was the most powerful Grand Vizier in the entire history of the Ottoman Empire. The greatness and historical importance of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha were firstly acknowledged in oral tradition, and only after the national awakening in the nineteenth century did his personality come into focus of interest among the newborn national intellectual elite in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Consequently, three significant historical books were published in Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade between 1886 and 1901, telling the story of the life and career of the Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha. The books are: Glasoviti Hrvati prošlih vijekova (Notable Croats of the Past Centuries, Zagreb 1886) by Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski; Kratka uputa u prošlost Bosne i Hercegovine (A Short Introduction into the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo 1900) by Safet-beg Bašagić; and Znameniti Srbi muhamedanci (Notable Mohammedan Serbs, Belgrade 1901) by Milenko Vukićević. All three authors tried to incorporate Sokollu Mehmed Pasha into their own national tradition: Kukuljević into Croatian, Bašagić into Bosnian and Vukićević into Serbian. Therefore, at the end of the nineteenth century Sokollu Mehmed-Pasha was an iconic personality for national and identity politics of Croats, Bosnians and Serbs, respectivel

Experiences and Memories of Violence in Literary Works of Han Kang: A Comparison with the Diary of Young Girl

The aim of the article is to compare Anne Frank’s The Diary of Young Girl with two novels, Human Acts and Vegetarian, both by the Korean female author Han Kang. Han Kang, who was born and raised in Gwangju in 1970 and left it in January 1980, could not witness the tragedy of the Gwangju uprising firsthand. Yet she is known as the “Daughter of Gwangju,” who spoke about the tragedy as an adult writing independent memory literature. She admitted to the horrors of the tragedy, saying that she heard the full account of the tragedy in Gwangju as a “story” and has seen it in a “photo book” her father saved two years after the incident. A literary production of such indirect experience culminated in the publication of Human Acts in 2014. Compared to the Vegetarian trilogy, published in 2007, it is difficult to find a link to Human Acts in terms of an epic context. This is because Vegetarian lacks a realistic description of the Gwangju tragedy. Vegetarian, however, is considered in this argument to be an epic extension of Human Acts because it uses the aftermath of visible violence that is homogeneous to the Gwangju tragedy as the motif of the novel. Additionally, it represents the clash with the “daily fascism,” which has spread like chaos through micro-violence

Experiences and Memories of Violence in Literary Works of Han Kang: A Comparison with the Diary of Young Girl

The aim of the article is to compare Anne Frank’s The Diary of Young Girl with two novels, Human Acts and Vegetarian, both by the Korean female author Han Kang. Han Kang, who was born and raised in Gwangju in 1970 and left it in January 1980, could not witness the tragedy of the Gwangju uprising firsthand. Yet she is known as the “Daughter of Gwangju,” who spoke about the tragedy as an adult writing independent memory literature. She admitted to the horrors of the tragedy, saying that she heard the full account of the tragedy in Gwangju as a “story” and has seen it in a “photo book” her father saved two years after the incident. A literary production of such indirect experience culminated in the publication of Human Acts in 2014. Compared to the Vegetarian trilogy, published in 2007, it is difficult to find a link to Human Acts in terms of an epic context. This is because Vegetarian lacks a realistic description of the Gwangju tragedy. Vegetarian, however, is considered in this argument to be an epic extension of Human Acts because it uses the aftermath of visible violence that is homogeneous to the Gwangju tragedy as the motif of the novel. Additionally, it represents the clash with the “daily fascism,” which has spread like chaos through micro-violence