Kristijono Donelaičio pasakėčios

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Kristijonas Donelaitis; Pasakėčia; Leksika; Kristijonas Donelaitis; Fables; Lexicology.

ENThe focus of the present monograph is on those aspects of the fables by Kristijonas Donelaitis that have not received sufficient research attention. The book comprises four chapters. In the first chapter, "Plots", the author briefly introduces those phenomena and authors of European fables that are in some way related with Donelaitis's works. Then the analysis of the links between the plots of Donelaitis's fables and those of the works by his predecessors and contemporaries follow. [...] Donelaitis employs the same principles as other fable writers of the 18th century, who sometimes chose well-known plots and sometimes created their own, but always tried to be original and give a new interpretation or an unexpected turn to the old, so-called Aesopian plots, or endow their characters with different features. Although the fables by the Lithuanian writer may sometimes seem long and drawn out, when reading the books by 18th century fable writers, we can see that the authors of those times treated the plots as they pleased. Some works are very short, but some are even much longer than those by Donelaitis. Therefore, Donelaitis was a typical fable writer of the 18th century in all respects. [...] The second chapter, "Verses", is dedicated to research on the versification of the fables. The analysis is focused on the accentual (also called tonic) versification, as the principles of this versification are more distinct in Donelaitis's hexameter. Attention is drawn to those geminates of Martynas Liudvikas Rėza's edition, which constructively supplement or emphasise the elements of quantitative versification, as well as to the system of diacritical signs of Georg Heinrich Ferdinand Nesselmann's edition. In the third chapter, "Words", the lexis of the fables is analysed.The aim of the analysis is to define the nature and features of the vocabulary of the fables, and to explore its relation with that of Metai, as short hints by various scholars, not grounded by any research, usually give precedence to the vocabulary of Metai. In addition to establishing the relation between the fables and Metai, the author was curious to trace the relation of words found in the fables with the lexis of other early Lithuanian writings. The research revealed that the fables do not have their own distinct vocabulary. A detailed analysis and description of each word revealed that out of 782 words of different meanings used in the fables, only 21 words are missing in Metai. The research material allowed us to draw the conclusion that the lexis of the fables is closely related with that of Metai: the words that are found in the poem are also used in the fables. Additionally, the nature and principles of their use are identical: both in the fables and Metai the same dialecticisms, the same cases of irregular usage, and the same word meanings and word combinations are found. Since the lexis of Metai and the fables is basically the same, the language of the fables cannot be either better or worse than that of the poem. The fourth chapter, "Images", is dedicated to discussing the features of the poetics of images of the fables. At the beginning, some statements of the theory of the fable genre formulated by 18th century literary theorists are briefly reviewed. An analysis of the main principle of Donelaitis's fables, epical character', is presented. Attention is drawn to the fact that the titles of the fables, which not only introduce the characters but also describe these characters or the situation of the fable, match the texts of the fables written according to the paratactic and cumulative principles of creating images.Donelaitis aligns details one after another, like soldiers in a line, and generously heaps them up until he thinks that it is enough. He not only announces the action, but also describes how the action is performed and indicates various principal and secondary circumstances. Therefore, a narrative of this type does not jump from one subject to another, but is consistent and thorough. [...] While analysing the morals of Donelaitis's fables, the author shows that these morals are speeches created according to the same principle of epic abundance. The deliverer of those speeches wears the mantle of a preacher imposing strict moral requirements. [...]. In generalisation of the research material, a hypothesis is advanced that the appearance of the same words and word combinations in the fables and Metai, and the same principles of their usage, shows that the fables are closely related with Metai, and Donelaitis wrote them not at the beginning of his creative career, as has been asserted until today, but approximately at the same time as he wrote Metai. Some fables may have been created before he began to write Metai, some of them simultaneously, and some of them right after the poem was finished, but, most likely, there was no large time gap between these works. In the fables "Vilks provininks" and "Šuo Didgalvis", some references to the case of repartitioning the Tolminkiemis lands, which began in 1775 and lasted until the poet's death, can be found. Finally, it is emphasised that Donelaitis should be acclaimed not only as the creator of the genre of the Lithuanian literary fable. Very importantly, he can proudly be ranked among the European fable writers, both his predecessors and contemporaries, as he is an original creator rather than a talented epigone or worthless imitator. [From the publication]

• Kalbotyra / Linguistics
• Literatūrologija / Literary Studies