Croatology, Vol. 11 No. 1, 2020.
Original scientific paper
„In This Old Body”: Fishing and Pilgrim as Late Works
Lovro Škopljanac
orcid.org/0000-0001-9996-6283
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Ulica Ivana Lučića 3, 10000 Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje by Petar Hektorović (written in 1556) and Pelegrin by Mavro Vetranović (written in mid-16th century) are two long poems that may be singled out as the most important examples of texts written by old authors within classical Croatian Rennaisance literature. The term „venerable work” is introduced in order to describe the specific nature of a text envisioned by an author writing in his old age. This term ideally encompasses three traits: a) late style, b) narrative and/or life journey and experience, c) aesthetic tension. Both poems possess all three as they are textually quite ambigious (especially Pelegrin) and multilayered (especially Ribanje), which is part and parcel of the general idea of late style. Both texts are based on their protagonist’s journey, which points to the second characteristic of a venerable work, although both of them evoke the topic of life experience in different ways. The interplay of both of these characteristics also creates a certain aesthetic tension in a venerable work, which is demonstrated with the aid of remarks made by Edward Said on artistic creation in old age.
Keywords
late style; old age; belatedness; memory; life journey
Hrčak ID:
247689
URI
Publication date:
11.12.2020.
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