AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NARRATION IN "LIFE AND CONNECTIONS" BY DOSITEJ OBRADOVIĆ

Abstract

According to the poetics and style, the literary work of Dositej Obradović represents a symbiosis of science, oratory and philosophy, with characteristic didactic and moralizing elements for the genres of erudite-popularizing and teaching literature. Dositej's work corresponds to the civil period of Serbian literature, which is why he is rightly considered the originator of the new Serbian literature. In this paper, we analyze the aspects of autobiographical narration in his famous autobiography "Life and Connections", according to the famous theoretical concept of the French literary theorist Phillipe Legeune about the "Autobiographical Pact". He defines autobiography as "retrospective narrative prose with which a real person recounts his own life, focusing on his personal life, and especially onthe story of his personality development." This is a key concept in the theory of autobiography, which has important role and influence for the understanding of autobiographical texts. Legeune highlights the unique characteristics of autobiography as a genre and emphasizes the complex relationship between author, text and reader in this type of literature. Based on the interpretations of these aspects, the paper provides a systematic insight into the poetic peculiarities of Obradović's work and indicates its importance for Serbian literature and culture, but also for its influence on the constitution of this genre among other South Slavic nations.