Srednji vek sanja utopijo

Pertot, Paloma (author), Virk, Tomislav (mentor)

Srednji vek sanja utopijo: Je utopija v srednjem veku prisotna ali je šele v nastajanju? Diplomsko delo poskuša preko izbranih primerov literarnih besedil ugotoviti, koliko lahko govorimo o obstoju utopičnega v srednjeveški literaturi pred nastankom oziroma objavo Utopije Thomasa Mora. Da bi se lahko posvetili iskanju odgovora, moramo najprej vzpostaviti ločnico med pojmi utopije, utopičnega in utopije kot literarnega žanra. Te tri pojme bomo poskušali razčleniti s pomočjo avtorjev, kot so Ruth Levitas, Fredric Jameson, Fatima Vieira, Karma Lochrie in Ernst Bloch. To so tudi avtorji, s pomočjo katerih se bom lotevala iskanja utopičnih prvin v srednjeveški literaturi. Svoje raziskovanje bom razdelila na dva ključna pola dojemanja utopične misli in žanra utopije. Prvi pol bo zagovarjal stroge meje pri vzpostavljanju pojmov utopije in literarnega žanra utopije. Pomembno vlogo bo tu zavzemala funkcija besedila in njegova transformativna moč. Drugi pol se bo opiral na »utopični impulz« Ernsta Blocha in na njegovo dojemanje utopije kot nečesa, kar pronica v skorajda vse vidike človeškega obstoja. Zanima me, ali srednjeveška literatura lahko zadosti pogojem obeh pogledov oziroma pristopov, ali morda le enemu, ali nobenemu. Odgovor bom poskušala najti s pomočjo del, kot sta srednjeveška pesnitev Dežela Cokaygne in Potovanja sira Johna Mandevilla, in lika Odiseja v Božanski Komediji Danteja Alighierija. Od teh del ne zahtevam, da ustrezajo danes veljavnim kriterijem definicije utopije. Gre le za hiter pregled in poskus iskanja utopičnega, kjer ga sicer morda ne bi pričakovali. Na kakršenkoli odgovor bom naletela, bo to vsekakor le drobec celote, za katero bi potrebovali veliko več časa in prostora, da bi si lahko vsaj domišljali, da jo razumemo. Celote se nam tako ali tako vedno izmikajo.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: utopija, utopična misel, filozofija utopije, srednjeveška literatura
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Year: 2021
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131729
• Publication date in RUL: 02.10.2021

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: The Middle Ages dreaming about utopia

Abstract

The Middle Ages dreaming about utopia: Is utopia present in the Middle Ages or is it still in the making? With the help of the few selected literary works the bachelor thesis tries to find out if we can talk about the existence of utopianism in medieval literature before the publication of Thomas More's Utopia. In the pursuit of an answer to this question we must first differentiate between the terms of utopia, utopianism and utopia as a literary genre. We will try to define these three terms with the help of works by authors such as Ruth Levitas, Fredric Jameson, Fatima Vieira, Karma Lochrie and Ernst Bloch. These are at the same time authors that I will be referring to when looking for signs of utopian elements in medieval literature. I will divide my research into two crucial approaches to the understanding of utopian thought and the genre of utopian literature. The first one will advocate for the implementation of strict rules when defining the terms of utopia and the utopian literary genre. The text's function and its transformative power will play a crucial role in establishing this point of view. The second approach will for the most part rely on the “utopian impulse” of Ernst Bloch and his understanding of utopia as something that infiltrates itself into all the many layers of human existence. I am interested in finding out if medieval literature can satisfy the prerequisites imposed by both the approaches, or if it can fit only under one of the two definitions, or maybe under neither of the two. I'll try to find the answer with the help of works such as the medieval poem The Land of Cokaygne, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville and the character of Ulysses such as presented by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy. I do not demand from these works to fit the definition of utopia that persists today. My aim is merely to compose a quick overview and attempt to look for utopian elements where we otherwise might not look for them. Any kind of answer that I might happen to stumble upon will most definitely be just a fraction of a totality. A totality for which we would need much more time and space to even imagine that we understand it. Either way, totalities have a habit of evading us.

• Keywords: utopia, utopian thought, utopianism, medieval literature