The Ideological Instrumentalization of Literary Myths in 19th Century Romanian Literature
The Ideological Instrumentalization of Literary Myths in 19th Century Romanian Literature

Summary/Abstract: The historical archetype of the bandit has many variations, but the literary prototype of the hajduk, present both in folklore and in written literature, best exemplifies the nature of the social outlaw, the one who constructs an image of boundless bravery in the collective imagination, feared and admired alike by peasants and boyars. The suggestive power of the hajduk’s archetype equates to the romantic principle of seeking refuge in a heroic past, where the glory of the social rebel is a construct of the collective imagination, eluding the need for introducing real biographical details. The allure of the myth draws reflections on lost virtue, freedom against oppression, and the ideal of justice, principles the outlaws fight to impose.

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