(Bio-/Cyber-/Robo-)technologically Enhanced and Designed “People” in the Most Recent Croatian Dystopian Prose

The following paper focuses on typification and cataloguing of the various manifestations of body decorating and enhancing in selected novels and stories, and also tries to examine their meanings, what changes they bring, what attitude of the authors towards technological progress they reveal and what social/cultural phenomena and processes they reflect. The paper also questions the upgrades of the human mind and the transformations of humans into some other forms of existence. Nine contemporary dystopian novels and five short stories have been studied for the purposes of this research. The methodological framework consists of texts that question the enhancement of the human body conducted in various ways, especially through biotechnology, bioengineering, cybernetics, robotics, etc

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN LJUBOMIR MARAKOVIC’S FOCUS

Pored djelā hrvatske književnosti namijenjenih odraslima, u vido- krug književnoga i kazališnoga kritičara i povjesničara Ljubomira Marakovića ušla su i neka djela namijenjena dječjoj populaciji. Na korpusu književnih kritika o djelima Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić, Jagode Truhelke, Vladimira Nazora, Josipa Cvrtile, Zvonimi- ra Peteka i Guida Tartaglije razvidno je da je Maraković oštro, ali pravedno sudio o produkciji namijenjenoj djeci (i mladima): podvlačio je rijetke uspješnice među brojnim djelima za djecu uz istodobnu srčanu borbu za status dječje književnosti. Zbog komparativne metode koju je rabio u analizama, provedbe kul- turološke, potom strukturne (npr. karakterizacije likova, pozicije pripovjedača i lika) te lingvostilističke analize, s naglaskom na re- cepciju djela, uz istodobno uvažavanje pedagoškoga i metodičkoga pristupa, Ljubomira Marakovića možemo smatrati pravim pro- micateljem dječje književnosti: ne samo što je nagovarao svojega pretpostavljenog čitatelja na čitanje djela nego je za njega gradio i prosudbenu hijerarhiju, učio ga je razdvajati vrhunska djela od prosječnih i ispodprosječnih.Croatian literary and theatre critic and historian Ljubomir Maraković wasn’t only interested in literature for adults but also in children’s literature. The corpus of literary criticism of the works by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Jagoda Truhelka, Vladimir Nazor, Josip Cvrtila, Zvonimir Petek and Guido Tartaglia shows that Maraković harshly but fairly judged the production intended for chil- dren (and young adults): he wrote reviews for many exceptional works of literature, fighting at the same time for the status of children’s literature. Due to the comparative method he used in analyses, the implementation of cultural analysis, then structural analysis (eg characterization of characters, the position of the narrator and the character) as well as linguistic and stylistic analysis, with an emphasis on the work’s reception, while respecting the pedagogical and methodical approach, we can consider Ljubomir Maraković a real promoter of children’s literature: not only did he persuade his implied reader to read works, but also he built a judgmental hierarchy for him, teaching him/ her to separate superior works from average and below average ones

Der Raum im Roman Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića

Polazeći od teorijskih postavki suvremenih teoretičara poput Henrija Lefebvrea, Edwarda Soje, Michela Foucaulta, Gastona Bachelarda i dr., rad iščitava Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića kao roman ceste (kretanja) i roman prostora (razotkrivanja značenja prostornih uporišta), uz neizbježno isprepletanje dviju perspektiva, uzimajući u obzir autoričino u proslovu višekratno nagoviješteno žanrovsko određenje djela (pripovijest). Protagonist romana napušta sigurno utočište vlastitoga doma prešavši kućni prag, a upravo se ova prostorna minijatura na kojoj se odvija Hlapićev izlazak iz kuće malim recipijentima sugerira kao točka iz koje trebaju stupiti u priču, kao mjesto njihova ulaska u narativni prostor. Našavši se na putu, mali flaner (od trenutka krađe čizmica, tragač za rješenjem problema) osvaja prostor raznim osjetilima, registrirajući mahom pozitivne značajke ruralnoga krajolika, a negativne urbanoga. Hlapićevo se lutanje odvija po nemapiranome prostoru, topografski ispražnjenome, po kojemu su razmještena sporadična spacijalna hvatišta poput štaglja, mosta ili kamenoloma te posebno važna heterotopija sajma i njoj subordinirana heterotopija cirkusa, dva mjesta „izvan svakoga mjesta“ (Foucault), koja je ipak moguće locirati.Starting from theoretical assumptions of contemporary theoreticians such as Henri Lefebvre, Edward Soja, Michel Foucault, Gaston Bachelard, this paper considers the novel Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića [The Brave Adventures of Hlapich the Apprentice] as a \u27road novel\u27 and a representative of the \u27space-oriented novel\u27, taking into account the genre\u27s specification as implied in the preface by the author. The main protagonist of the novel leaves the safe haven of the only home he has by crossing the doorstep, and it is precisely this space miniature, in which Hlapich\u27s departure takes place, that is offered to young readers as their point of departure into the story, i.e. their entry point into the narrative space. Finding himself on the road, the little flâneur (from the moment his shoes are stolen, he becomes a problem solver) conquers place with various senses, registering mostly the positive features of the rural landscape and the negative ones of the urban one. Hlapich\u27s wandering occurs in an unmapped space, topographically emptied, across which sporadic spatial points of reference, like a barn, a bridge or a quarry, are deployed, as well as the particularly important heterotopia of the fair, and the one subordinated to it – the heterotopia of the circus – two places that \u27\u27are outside of all places\u27\u27 (Foucault), even though it may be possible to locate them in reality.Ausgehend von den Ansätzen zeitgenössischer Theoretiker wie jenen von Henri Lefebvre, Edward Soja, Michel Foucault, Gaston Beachelard u. a., wird der Roman Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića [Wunderbare Reise des Schusterjungen Clapitsch] als „Straßenroman“ bzw. Variante des „raumorientierten Romans“ interpretiert. Dabei wird die Verfasserin im Vorwort vorgenommene Gattungsdefinition des Textes als Erzählung berücksichtigt. Der Protagonist verlässt den sicheren Hafen seines Heimes, indem er die Hausschwelle übertritt. Gerade diese räumliche Miniatur, innerhalb der sich Hlapićs Auszug in die Welt vollzieht, dient sowohl als Ausgangspunkt der Geschichte wie auch als Eintrittspunkt für die Rezipienten in den Erzählraum des Romans. Der kleine Flaneur, der Vagabund Hlapić, der nach dem Raub seiner Stiefel zum Problemlöser wird, erobert auf seinem Weg den Raum mit unterschiedlichen Sinnen. Dabei nimmt er die vornehmlich positiven Merkmale ländlicher bzw. negativen Aspekte urbaner Landschaften wahr. Hlapićs Wanderung vollzieht sich durch einen unvermessenen, topographisch entleerten Raum, in dem sporadisch räumliche Bezugspunkte wie die Scheune, die Brücke oder der Steinbruch vorkommen. Darunter ist der Heterotopie des Jahrmarktes, sowie dem ihr untergeordneten Zirkus besonderer Stellenwert beigemessen, denn obgleich sie lokalisierbar sind, handelt es sich um „Orte außerhalb aller Orte“ (Foucault)

Biblical Characters and Events in the prose of Mara Švel-Gamiršek

U radu se analiziraju autoričini prozni tekstovi kršćanskoga nadahnuća objavljeni u zbirci Legende te u katoličkim tiskovinama: Maruliću, Veritasu, Kani, Paxu, Glasu koncila, Vjesniku đakovačke biskupije, Gore srca te u godišnjaku Danica. Izdvojeni su oni tekstovi koji govore o likovima i događajima o kojima čitamo u Bibliji. Analizira se način oblikovanja likova, njihova zastupljenost riječima ili mislima u tekstu, potom pozicija pripovjedača, tip fokalizacije te pripovjedna linija itd. U fokusu su i analize književnih povjesničara, teoretičara i kritičara Šveličinih proza kršćanskoga nadahnuća od vremena objavljivanja zbirke Legende do danas s ciljem propitivanja eventualne promjene prihvaćanja i ocjene ovoga dijela opusa Mare Švel-Gamiršek tijekom vremena. Kako je riječ o beletrizaciji biblijskih događaja, pozornost se posvećuje i biblijskomu intertekstu, navode se mjesta iz Biblije, s oznakama knjiga, poglavlja i redaka, a mjestimice se podvlače sličnosti i eventualna odstupanja od ishodišnoga teksta. Također se raščlanjuju i biblijski simboli, uglavnom biljni i životinjski, kao važna sastavnica tekstova kršćanskoga nadahnuća.The paper analysis Mara Švel-Gamiršek’s prose texts of Christian inspiration published in the prose collection Legende and in the Catholic journals: Marulić, Veritas, Kana, Pax, Glas koncila, Vjesnik đakovačke biskupije, Gore srca and Danica. The special emphasis is given to the texts dealing with characters and events present in the Bible. The analysis covers the models of character development, their representation in the words and thoughts in the text, the position of the narrator, the type of focalisation, the narrative line, etc. The focus is also on the literary historians’, theoreticians’ and critics’ analysis of Švel-Gamiršek’s prose of Christian inspiration from the period of publishing the prose collection Legende until today. By doing that, the paper traces changes in the literary evaluations of that part of Švel-Gamiršek’s opus through the time. Since the respective works are a sort of beletrization of the biblical events, the special attention is given to the Biblical intertext, while stressing similarities and departures from the original text. Finally, the paper also analysis Biblical symbols, mostly plants and animals, as an important element of the texts of Christian inspiration

THE MULTI-LAYEREDNESS OF THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OTOK (THE ISLAND)

Otok (eng. The Island), an illustrated book, depicts a dystopian future of an unnamed Croatian island. Grandma, the main heroine and narrator, welcomes her granddaughter Zrinka, who arrives by boat from Zagreb. The majority of the island has sunk, and the remainder is inhabited by a few elderly people. Former Mediterranean vegetation has vanished, there are no animals, the sea is poisonous and greasy, the land is poisoned and barren, and the sky is cloudy but devoid of rain. The goal of this paper is to determine which issues emerge in the illustrated book and how they are depicted, as well as to evaluate aesthetic characteristics of the story. The importance of narration in the book cannot be overstated - two stories are told from Grandma’s point of view: the story of the dystopian present (told in the present tense), which is the opposite of Grandma’s melancholy story of the past and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of Thumbelina. Thumbelina is also the main intertext of the illustrated book, which is dominated by a romantic concept of childhood (the kind that Grandma remembers). That image of childhood contrasts with Zrinka’s posthumanist childhood, which is represented by a completely altered Little Red Riding Hood in the form of a computer game