Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.15291/csi.5083
Characterization in the novel "Knjiga gorkog prijekora" ("The Book of Bitter Reproach") by Ivan Aralica
Mirela Šušić
orcid.org/0000-0002-0767-4484
; University of Zadar, Croatia, Department of Croatian Studies, Zadar, Croatia
*
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
The constellation of history and literary fiction in the con-
sciousness of the recipient is fundamentally determined by
the author’s skill in characterisation and in realising literary
reality. The multiple literary affirmation of the Croatian
writer Ivan Aralica, achieved through his historical novels,
gains particular significance with his novel Knjiga gorkog
prijekora (The Book of Bitter Reproach), which is the su-
bject of this paper. Through reflection on his own historical
knowledge of the city of Zadar and of one of the most valua-
ble fourteenth-century Croatian monuments – the Chest of
Saint Simeon, commissioned by Queen Elizabeta in honour
of the local saint and for the purpose of strengthening the
alliance between Zadar and the Hungarian crown – Aralica
constructs the identities of his characters. The destruction of
a city and the construction of the historical figure of Elizabe-
ta Kotromanić through the literary character of a young girl
fundamentally reflect Aralica’s ability to portray the inner
states of his heroes and heroines, regardless of the level of
historical and semantic hierarchy to which they belong. An
interpretation of Aralica’s literary technique, most evident
in his methods of characterisation and portrayal of social
conditions, confirms the contemporary and original nature
of his literary conception.
Ključne riječi
Elizabeta Kotromanić; Ivan Aralica; literary character; “The Book of Bitter Reproach”; Zadar
Hrčak ID:
349362
URI
Datum izdavanja:
14.7.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *