Geography and National Characteristics of Literary Baroque

Abstract

The author's English summary from the article:

Key words: baroque literature, Georgian authentic baroque, comparative studies.

This article is focused on typological analysis of such general literary phenomenon, characterizing Christian culture as literary baroque. 17th century is characterized with emphasis on religious issues in the entire Christian world and this showed up in different ways: in some places (Western and Eastern European countries) these were fierce religious confrontations and wars between Christian confessions, in the other places (in Georgia) this was fierce battle of Orthodox Christians against Moslem invaders. By the reason of deep crisis, chaos and generally dark atmosphere, characterizing epoch of baroque, people had the feeling of hopelessness, they had doubts and distrust to the temporal life and therefore, they sought the only lively truth in the mystic, transcendent world, the afterworld.

Worldview, dramatically different from the renaissance humanism gave birth to the new creative vision of reality and this was reflected by the characteristic methods. Historical and typological researches conducted for many years, with respect of comparative study of Georgian and European baroque (Nachkebia 2009), provided basis for the following consideration: Georgian literature of 16th – 18th centuries, of its so called “renaissance epoch”, with its themes, problems, trend to working of the religious issues, fully responds to European baroque literature. Though this is not due to the literary contacts with Europe, like many European countries, but rather through autogenesis, resulting from the logic of literature development as Georgian Christian literature has found its way of development independently.

That’s why Georgian literature has adopted so organically the romanticism, realism, symbolism and modernism; basis for European literatures is Christian culture. Georgian authentic baroque (term by Ir. Kenchoshvili; Kenchoshvili: 1973) is of particular interest due to its originality (Nachkebia 2014). Hence, literary baroque is general Christian phenomenon and each Christian culture applied similar creative techniques to express similar emotions in the similar historical situations, though the differences and trends of literary tastes are apparent as well, while the signs of literary baroque of each nation are common, these are: sharp religious passions and religious excitement, antithesis thinking, emblematic nature, metamorphoses, thoughts about death etc.

Thus, Georgian classical literature of 16th – 18th centuries is the part of the historical- cultural process known in modern literary criticism as Baroque Epoch. Generally, in line with the dominant events characteristic for this epoch, it contains the national element determining the specific nature of Baroque Epoch for each individual country and nation. The author regards that identification of geography and national characteristics of baroque and consideration of Georgian authentic baroque in the context of European baroque, identification of general signs of literary baroque and its national characteristics is of particular significance.

Article provides brief descriptions of certain characteristics of French, Spanish, Italian, German, English, Dutch, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Hungarian and Georgian national literary Baroques. In comparative aspect of baroque research, identification of the common signs characterizing of different national literary baroque is of undoubted and primary interest but equally significant is identification of the signs distinguishing national baroques resulting from different historical-political and social and/or mental specific characteristics. Absolutely particular attitude of baroque to the theatre and its leading role in this epoch is generally recognized, though its revelations differ in the different countries: in Western Europe these are the dramatic pieces recognized as classical works, e.g.

in Slavonic baroque this was the particular form of the theatre – so called “school theatre” and “school drama”. We regard that in Georgian baroque the genre of conversation could be regarded as the analogue of theatre: theatrical nature, characteristic for the European baroque in general, is organic for Georgian reality as well, as conversation was the component of Georgian artistry (“Sakhioba”). For example, French baroque is distinguished by “libertarian” poetry and Slovakian literary baroque is distinguished by Slovakian praises and laudations of Slovak language, as caused by historical-political situation and was related to strengthening of the national self-comprehension, fostering of the national language.

And the genre, completely explaining the baroque epoch, is the tragedy of martyrs and the work states that Spain, the intellectual leader of baroque, has created the whole gallery of the martyrs’ tragedies. This article provides brief discussion of characteristics of Italian, English, German and Dutch baroques, baroque literatures of the Eastern and Central Europe, including also Hungarian baroque literature. The author concludes that baroque literatures of these countries, there is basically single picture and though Russian art mostly differs from the other European arts, this is not applicable to Russian baroque literature and it is similar to the other Slavonic baroque.

Author of the article regards that for study of baroque it is necessary to clearly show how baroque has been propagating in the Europe, which countries have influenced the others, where the early baroque was, where its development was delayed, where it was prolonged in time and why. Thus, comparative study allows deep analysis of the issue and on this basis characteristic features of the national baroques would reveal more clearly as there is the civilization of European baroque and national, individual cultures, each of them has its characteristic rhythm and this is significant and important for further research.

Published in the journal Sjani, vol. 16 (2015), pp. 147–159. Open the paper