The Mythologizing of Personal Life Story and National History in the Lithuanian Literature at the End of the 19th Century Cover Image

Asmens ir tautos istorijos mitologizacija xix a . Pabaigos lietuvių literatūroje
The Mythologizing of Personal Life Story and National History in the Lithuanian Literature at the End of the 19th Century

Author(s): Irena Buckley
Subject(s): Literary Texts
Published by: Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas
Keywords: Identity; genealogy; history; mythology; ancient religijon; Christianity

Summary/Abstract: Romantic historiography does not separate an individual’s life story from national history, but rather shows their links: prominent personalities are treated as specific emblems of particular periods; and a personal biography is grasped as an incarnation of collective history. In the treatment of history the mythological dimension offers not the academic forms, but rather the shapes produced by imagination and intuition, affecting emotions and encouraging the activity of a person and nation. The sources of individual and collective motivation for the socio-patriotic activity are similar. At the end of the 19th century the created myths strengthen national identity and form historical consciousness. In the Lithuanian literature of that time the estimation of national and personal history is based on the intersection of universal and national values. The mythologized history of the nation enters the world of a personality as a component of one’s rich spiritual life.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 6
  • Page Range: 9-15
  • Page Count: 7
  • Language: Lithuanian