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"Italy, I love you ... flooded by disgust of the North" : Conceptualization of Space in František Zavřel's Works

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2012

Abstract

From the perspective of this essay, the chronotope in literary text is a model, created by the choice of words and their organization. In the case of interpretation of František Zavřel's historical plays it is necessary to search for the position of such a concrete model within adequate cultural contexts.

Zavřel's South Bohemia is not an ideologically neutral description, but rather a specific construct, which can be distinguished from other constructs of the time. On the other hand, there are also constructs which are complementary to Zavřel's position, e. g. his attitude towards history was probably influenced by Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic; his notion of South Bohemia is closely linked with the analysis of "national character" in sociological works of Emanuel Chalupný and his political views were situated within the discourse of Czech Conservatives.

Such reading is supported by some signals in paratexts of Zavřel's plays (e. g. motto) or in his other texts (especially in his memoirs Za živa pohřben).