I am the one and only Patriot: About the Construction of Croatian national identity in Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel Kamen na cesti
Abstract
The paper will focus on the construction of the national identity and power metaphoric in the novel Kamen na cesti by Marija Jurić Zagorka. As the author has been regarded as marginal, considering not only her gender but also the genre of her works.
Zagorka was a target of remarkable criticism in her time, yet the mass popularity of her historical and biographical novels is long lasting. Even though her literary works does not push the artistic boundaries, the expressed concept of Croatian national identity in her autobiographically stylized texts could be considered not only a memorable portrait of nationally awakened modern woman, as well as the model representative of contemporary mental construct for female author.
The secondary focus will be on the shaping of Croatian national identity. From the strategies related to building the "Croatian national" discourse, that in order to be widely acceptable by readers must be experienced through the lens of deliberate monumental narrative and significant pathos linked to the birth and revival of the Croatian nation.
The implementation of this narrative will be described by the repertoire of verbal images and the representation of socially and personally liberating acts of self-aware heroine in the novel as well as shifting attitudes towards others questioning the national and personal identity