Proverbs in Vitezović’s Odiljenje Sigetsko Cover Image

Poslovice u Vitezovićevu Odiljenju sigetskom
Proverbs in Vitezović’s Odiljenje Sigetsko

Author(s): Vanja Budišćak
Subject(s): Croatian Literature, 17th Century, 18th Century, Philology
Published by: Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku
Keywords: Pavao Ritter Vitezović; Odiljenje sigetsko [The siege of Siget]; proverbs; oral literature;

Summary/Abstract: Amongst numerous literary genres which Pavao Ritter Vitezović (1652 – 1713) included in his hybrid “epic poem” Odiljenje sigetsko [The siege of Siget] (1684) proverbs have a special place. Dispersed in all four parts of the text, proverbs are one of the most common genres in Odiljenje, as well as in Vitezović’s heterogenous and extensive oeuvre. This article deals with the semantic diversity of proverbs in Odiljenje sigetsko, explores their possible origin (oral / written literature) and their function within the “poem”, and compares them with proverbs from other selected Vitezović’s works in Croatian. The analysis demonstrates that the omnipresence of proverbs in Odiljenje is essentially an echo of the clear baroque propensity for (oral) proverbs and proverbial forms, as well as evidence of Vitezović’s strong desire to make his work available to less educated readers.

  • Issue Year: 56/2019
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 143-155
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Croatian