Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2017
Abstract
The first printed books in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - The Small Travel Book in 1522 and Catechism in 1547 - paved their way to the Ruthenian and Lithuanian reader though acrostics. The books of uniform format and similar purposes originated one after another in the same historical cultural domain; however, the acrostics by Francisk Skorina and Martynas Mažvydas have not until now been the object of a thorough comparative study.
The article attempts to fill this gap. The Ruthenian acrostics of the period 1519-1522 from which M.
Mažvydas could have potentially drawn his inspiration are first discussed. With reference to analogy, the characteristics of acrostics are analysed; the source of M.
Mažvydas' pieces of writing is discussed.