engleski

Traditional Culture and Slavonian Identity in Children’s Novels

The Republic of Croatia is geographically divided into regions, and Slavonia is located in the eastern part of Croatia. It is predominantly a lowland area, with a prominent agricultural production. Slavonian identity and culture manifest in the feeling of a local, Slavonian affiliation. Slavonian identity is reflected in the rural culture, a bond with the land, tamburitza music, folk dances and folk costumes, cuisine, way of speaking, and a specific sense of humor. In Croatian children's literature there are two spatial complexes, rural and urban. Both complexes are tied to a particular way of life, beliefs and culture. There is a link between childhood and homeland in the children's novels in a way that the characteristics of homeland affect the process of shaping of the characters and their world view. This paper will explore the prevalence of traditional Slavonian culture in Croatian children's novels. Emphasis will be placed on the period in which the novels were written and on the degree of modernity regarding on the one hand the construction of the children's identity and on the other the content level. Starting point for the research and the relationship towards traditional Slavonian culture will be the novels’ belonging to either the urban or the rural spatial complex, and the narrated time of the story.

children’s literature; Slavonia; traditional culture; identity; relationship to traditional culture

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