Mašíbl and Aesthetics : Contribution to the "Mirror of the Obscure" in the Thought of Vladimír Borecký
2021
Abstract
The study deals with the phenomenon of 'mašíbl' in terms of aesthetics. We put the theory of the comic and the concept of "the mirror of the obscure" [zrcadlo obzvláštního] developed by Vladimír Borecký in connection with the theory of 'defamiliarization' as it was worked out by Viktor Šklovskij and Jan Mukařovský.
The Mukařovský's structuralist aesthetics enables us to show that 'mašíbl' represents a rare case of the non-artistic aesthetic where aesthetic function is not subordinated to some other function but, on the contrary, is the one which dominates. Despite the domination of the aesthetic function, one cannot determine 'mašíbl' as art since the role of artistic values and the tradition of art are insignificant in this case.