Czech Avant-garde and its comparison with Slovene Avant-garde in the field of poetry in the first half of 20th century
Abstract
The master thesis wants to show the development of Czech and Slovene avant-garde in the first half of the 20 th century, while also analyzing potential relations between the Slovene and Czech in the field of avant-garde poetry. In the first part the thesis offers an overview of avant-garde art theories and by doing so strictly excludes expressionism and modernism from the range of avant-garde.
From three of the most representative theories of avant-garde the thesis synthesizes a model, which can justify Czech as well as Slovene poetry as avant-garde. In the second and third part the thesis shows a systematical overview of both avant-gardes' development, concluding that common ground for both can be found in modernist and contemporary avant-garde movements.
In Czechoslovakia proletariat art forms in the first phase, influenced by futurism, later in the context of the group Devětsil developing to poetism, an original Czech avant garde movement, which shows mainly influences of Russian constructivism. In the third phase, after the group falls apart, poetism develops to surrealism.
In Slovenia the first phase is connected to Podbevšek, also influenced by futurism and his collection Človek z bombami. The second phase is set in Kosovel's constructive constructivist production, which was published decades after his death.
The third phase constitutes of Slovene constructivism of Černigoj and Delak. In the fourth part the thesis analyses potential reception and influences, where we find that the influence from Slovene avantgarde is rather improbable, because in its time Slovene avant-garde was locally contained and not known internationally.
The master thesis offers a review of the Czech avant-garde, which in the context of influences on the Slovene literature was not yet widely researched. Thus it also offers starting points for possible further research, especially regarding possible cultural influence between both nations.