Positivism and Lithuanian prose. The second half of the 19th century ; Pozityvizmas ir lietuvių proza. XIX amžiaus antroji pusė

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Sujets

• Philology
• Positivism
• Prose

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• Publié par: vytautas_magnus_university
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 45
• Langue: English

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VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY










Giedrius Židonis



POSITIVISM AND LITHUANIAN PROSE
(The second half of the 19th Century)






Summary of Doctoral Dissertation
Humanities, Philology (04 H)






















Kaunas, 2009 This doctoral dissertation was prepared at the Vytautas Magnus University from 1999
to 2008.
The dissertation will be defended according to the protocol for external doctorates.


Academic Consultant:
Prof. Dr. Irena Buckley (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H)



The Dissertation will be defended before the Council of Philological Sciences of
Vytautas Magnus University:

Chairperson:
Prof. Dr. Danguol ė Mikul ėnien ė (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology
– 04 H)

Members:
Prof. Habil. Dr. Egidijus Aleksandravi čius (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities,
History – 05 H)

Doc. Dr. Dainora Abukevi čien ė-Poci ūt ė (Vilnius University, Humanities, Philology –
04 H)

Doc. Dr. Indr ė Žakevi čien ė (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology –
04 H)

Doc. Dr. R ūta Br ūzgien ė (The Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore,
Humanities, Philology – 04 H)

Oponents:
Prof. Habil. Dr. Virginija Šlekien ė-Balsevi či ūt ė (Vilnius Pedagogical University,
Huma

Doc. Dr. Džiuljeta Maskuli ūnien ė (Siauliai University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H)

The dissertation will be defended at a public meeting of the Council of Philological
Sciences, in the Marija Gimbutien ė hall (room 211) of Vytautas Magnus University
Faculty of Humanities at 11 a. m. on February 13, 2009.
Address: K. Donelai čio 52, LT–44244 Kaunas, Lithuania

The summary of the doctoral dissertation was sent out on January 12, 2009.
Those interested may acquaint themselves with the doctoral dissertation at the
Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas library and at the libraries of Vytautas
Magnus University and the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore.




VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS










Giedrius Židonis



POZITYVIZMAS IR LIETUVI Ų PROZA
(XIX amžiaus antroji pus ė)






Daktaro disertacijos santrauka
Humanitariniai mokslai, filologija (04 H)























Kaunas, 2009 Disertacija rengta 1999–2008 metais Vytauto Didžiojo universitete.
Disertacija ginama eksternu.



Mokslinis konsultantas:
prof. dr. Irena Buckley (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai,
filologija – 04 H)



Disertacija ginama Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Humanitarini ų moksl ų
krypties taryboje:

Pirmininkas:
prof. dr. Danguol ė Mikul ėnien ė (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai
mokslai, filologija – 04 H)

Nariai:
prof. habil. dr. Egidijus Aleksandravi čius (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas,
humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05 H)

doc. dr. Dainora Abukevi čien ė-Poci ūt ė (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai
mokslai, filologija – 04 H)

doc. dr. Indr ė Žakevi čien ė (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai,
filologija – 04 H)

doc. dr. R ūta Br ūzgien ė (Lietuvi ų literat ūros ir tautosakos institutas, humanitariniai
mokslai, filologija – 04 H)

Oponentai:
prof. habil. dr. Virginija Šlekien ė-Balsevi či ūt ė (Vilniaus pedagoginis universitetas,
humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H)

doc. dr. Džiuljeta Maskuli ūnien ė (Šiauli ų universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai,
filologija – 04 H)

Disertacija bus ginama viešame Humanitarini ų moksl ų krypties tarybos pos ėdyje
2009 m. vasario 13 d. 11 val. Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Humanitarini ų mokls ų
fakultete, Marijos Gimbutien ės auditorijoje (211 kab.).
Adresas: K. Donelai čio g. 52, LT–44244 Kaunas, Lietuva

Disertacijos santrauka išsiuntin ėta 2009 m. sausio 12 d.
Disertacij ą galima perži ūr ėti Lietuvos nacionalin ėje Martyno Mažvydo bibliotekoje,
taip pat Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto ir Lietuvi ų literat ūros ir tautosakos instituto
bibliotekose.
INTRODUCTION

The Urgency of the Problem. Positivism is a philosophical system and a
worldview which defined almost the entire middle and end of the nineteenth century in
the spiritual and cultural life of Western Europe. It reached Lithuania through Russian
and Polish universities where Lithuanian students were studying. This worldview had
already been interpreted and modified to fit local conditions, so it was not difficult to
adjust to the cultural conditions of Lithuania, especially from the Polish interpretation.
However, while in Poland positivist concepts, which had been introduced by Auguste
Comte, and popularised by Herbert Spencer and his other followers, were being were
being analysed and discussed among the intelligentsia, and while separate positivist
schools were being created, in Lithuania, positivism was realised not in philosophical
writings, but indirectly in publicistic writings, in fictional literature and its criticism, and
in popular science. The active political positivist slogan in Czarist Russia “work for the
people / the homeland” (or for “the homeland / the people”) was not entwined in
academic interpretation, but interpreted in the more narrow practical sense, and
crystallised as what was called “practical” (or “everyday”) positivism. The attention of
the cultural worker was first directed to national literature and the creation of theatres,
so the field of philosophy, or at least the question of philosophical interpretation was
somewhat neglected. Lithuanian Positivism, not having a philosophic foundation and
maturing sporadically without any firm guidance, often (especially between the wars)
gave rise to the dilemma of the concept of other, both when speaking about separate
authors, and in general about Lithuanian positivism. In post-war Lithuania, positivism
was interpreted as a liberal bourgeois philosophy, so its analysis was pushed to the
fringes of cultural studies.
Because of these aforementioned conditions, which were not conducive to the
study of positivism, the term positivism was not used, unless as a reference, or as part of
a broader category. Even today, there have been no separate studies or monographs
published, which were dedicated to Lithuanian positivism. This dissertation will attempt
to fill that gap in the study of Lithuanian literature.
This dissertation will attempt to present the foundations of the positivist
philosophy and worldview. It will also attempt to show the spread of Lithuanian
positivism in the context of the dominant positivism of Russia and Poland, and to
thoroughly examine the exploration and interpretation of positivism in the mind of
5Lithuanian fictional literary criticism. This study raises the question as to whether one
can in general speak of the adoption of certain models of literature from didactic
literature to positivist literature. Aside from discussing different time periods and
different literary styles of the nineteenth century (the beginning of Lithuanian didactic
literature, while the Lithuanian Cultural Renaissance was still in its embryonic stage;
the maturation of didactic literature and the beginning of the Lithuanian Cultural
Renaissance; and positivist literature as well as Lithuania's Cultural Renaissance in full
force) this work also discusses the pieces having the characteristics of the positivist
literature written during the prohibition of the press. The work will also attempt to
explain what positivist personalities were significant during the second half of the
nineteenth century, and to what professional and social groups these people belonged,
along with reconstructing their aesthetic positivist program.
The Exploration of the Problem. There have been many references by various
literary critics to positivism, or more specifically, to the effects of positivism on the
Lithuanian writers during the second half of the nineteenth century, but most of these
have been only brief mentions. The term Positivism began being used more widely with
1Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, after beginning the discussion (especially during the inter-
war period) about the influence of Polish writers on Vincas Kudirka. The positivist
worldview, until today, has been mostly associated with the social activism of Kudirka,
and with his publicistic writings. Other writers are only mentioned episodically.
It would be necessary to note Janina Ž ėkait ė's monograph “Šatrijos Ragana” (The
2Witch of Shatria) , as an exception, where the author speaks of the connection between
the writer, who was a “most passionate defender of positivism,” and the utilitarian
ethics of her fictional works.
Several more theoret