THE MYTHICAL – FANTASTIC DIMENSION IN ION AGÂRBICEANU’S PROSE
THE MYTHICAL – FANTASTIC DIMENSION IN ION AGÂRBICEANU’S PROSE

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the essential role of the mythical–fantastic dimension in Ion Agârbiceanu’s prose, where supernatural elements emerge organically from the religious beliefs and folkloric mentality of rural Transylvania. Rather than opposing realism, the fantastic functions as an extension of the community’s symbolic universe, grounding mythical figures—such as vâlve, zâne and strigoi—in everyday experience. These beings embody collective anxieties, moral tensions, and the ambiguous relationship between human destiny and invisible forces. Through psychological ambiguity, narrative hesitation and subtle desacralization, Agârbiceanu transforms the fantastic into a mode of interior exploration, revealing the hidden fears, desires, and spiritual crises that shape traditional life. The study argues that the author’s distinctive fusion of realism and myth creates a nuanced literary space where the extraordinary becomes a natural language for understanding human experience.

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