Sida Košutić’s Christian Mysticism – on the Periphery of the Canon of National Literature
Kornelija Kuvač-Levačić
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that the peripheral canonical position of Sida Košutić's literary work stems not only from ideological and worldview factors but also from her expression of the unspeakable through Christian mystical experience, analyzed in the poem "Ime tvoje sveti se." Contends that mystical hermeticism is one possible cause of her marginal status, and that a postmodern approach to language shows her poetry moving beyond semantic atomism and representationalism, legitimizing her inclusion in Croatian modern literature of the first half of the twentieth century. |
Abstract
The research shows several key causes of the reception and literary-historical periphery of the rich literary oeuvre of the Croatian poet, essayist, storyteller and author of one drama, Sida Košutić. While much of the research to date has cited the ideological and world-view causes of Sida Košutić’s marginal position in the canon of national literature, the writer’s expression of the unspeakable at the key of the Christian mystical experience is predominantly explored here. Thus, this research fits in with the contemporary interest in the philosophy of language and literary theory in the problem of the expression of the unspeakable (L. Wittgenstein, K. Jaspers, J. Derrida, M. Sells, etc.). The prominent elements of mystical discourse in the writer’s lyrical expression are analyzed on the example of a poem (“Ime tvoje sveti se”) which brings the majoritiy of poetic techniques from the entire collection Vjerenička žetva. Mystical hermeticism is also one of the possible causes of the peripheral status of Sida Košutić’s work. However, if the interpretation includes postmodern approach to language, it can be concluded that the poetic expression goes beyond the semantic atomism (the unspeakable refers to different experiences, conditions and realities), opposing representationalism and referentialism language model. Sida Košutić’s critical subject finds its legitimacy in Christian mysticism. The work of this writer can be equally included in the poetic guidelines of Croatian modern literature of the first half of the 20th century, thus undermining the dominant notions of the center and periphery defined by the national literary canon.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |