Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.47960/3029-3103.2026.12.67
The hybrid genre structure of Velimir Deželić, Sr.'s historical novel The First King (1903)
Mirna Brkić Vučina
; University of Mostar, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
The historical novel is one of the most vital and adaptable genres in Croatian literature. Since the first true historical novel in Croatian literature, Šenoa's Goldsmith's gold (1871), it has shown a distinct ability to transform, i.e., adapt to various intentions, tastes and interests. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, the first signs of the stratification of the historical novel appeared in Croatian literature. Thus, various versions of the sensational and entertaining pseudo-historical novel emerged, which captivated readers and represented our first bestsellers. The writers of this type of historical novel were primarily concerned with presenting material from Croatian history to a wider readership in an interesting and unpretentious way and with simply conveying Christian and patriotic values. The most popular writers of this offshoot of the Croatian historical novel were Marija Jurić Zagorka and Velimir Deželić, Sr. Deželić wrote, following the example of Šenoa and Sienkiewicz, around ten historical novels in which he most often thematized events from early Croatian history, from the era of famous national rulers and the struggle between paganism and Christianity. In the novel The First King (1903), Deželić developed and literarized the character of the first Croatian king Tomislav and his glorious era. This paper will analyze the hybridity of Deželić's type of historical novel using the example of the novel The First King, i.e., the historical, religious and romantic layers, each of which has its own function in the text. Deželić successfully intertwines all three layers in the novel, which ultimately ensures its safe reception by a wider readership.
Keywords
Velimir Deželić, Sr.; historical novel; hybridity of genre.
Hrčak ID:
351273
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2026.
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