engleski

Representation of Ottoman Space in the Historical Epic Poem Osman by Ivan Gundulić

Due to the canonical status of the Ragusan writer Ivan Gundulić (1589–1638) and his historical epic poem Osman, historical events of the Battle of Chocim (1621) and of the dethroning and execution of young sultan Osman II in Constantinople (1622) are established as common places within the Croatian cultural imagery. As obligatory reading in secondary schools, this poem has often been in the focus of literary, cultural and historical research. Relying upon paradigm of spatial turn in contemporary humanities and social sciences, this paper is aimed at analyzing of Ottoman space in the epic poem Osman by Ivan Gundulić. Referring partly to the historical (the Battle of Chocim, the 1622 Janissary Revolt) and partly to the imaginary events (the travels of Ali-pasha and Kazlar-aga, diplomatic negotiations in Warsaw), the literary space which is constructed in the poem Osman reveals the coordinates of historical, geopolitical and religion map of Europe in 1620’s. According to the autocentric, Western perspective of Christian narrator, the Ottoman Empire is constructed as the space of the Other. As the inimical, Islamic and autocratic space it bears negative value connotations. On the other hand, the character of Osman, as the prominent element of space reflects ambivalent evaluations and emotional stance of the narrator: from moral criticism to compassion. Reproducing various discourses of the 17th century Catholic Europe – historical, social, religious, cultural and ideological – Ottoman space constructed in the poem Osman can be interpreted both from the perspective of Ottoman-Ragusan political relationship as well as specific geopolitical position of Ragusan Republic in the Mediterranean during the Early Modern period.

Ivan Gundulić; epic poem Osman; Ragusan literature of the XVII century; literary space; Ottoman space; spatial turn

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