Indigeneity in Croatian children′s literature

Abstract

The paper interprets selected genre of diverse texts that belong to Croatian children′s literature connected by the theme of indigeneity. The concept of indigeneity, characterized by linguistic-stylistic features, prominent emotionality and desire for the awareness of indigenous identity (language, landscape, customs, history) could be read to children recipients from children′s poetry, picture books, topologically diverse stories and tales. Literary theory and culture analysis have identified the importance of native and regional identity based on knowing and promoting native values and patriotism. Motive-related, linguistic, compositional and stylistic differences have been noticed in selected writings, all based on the genre specifics. In their literary texts authors mostly use autobiographical discourse of their own childhood and life experience connected to their homeland. Besides the narrative realism resulting from the projection of one's own childhood, a significant interference of the elements of fairy-tales, as well as the need of mythical vision of the homeland have been noticed. Indigenous themes are usually realized through spatial topophilia: from emotional description of rural and urban localities, through historical digressions, to the narration about important persons whose life and work have become recognizable parts of the homeland identity and cultural heritage of a particular region. Linguistically, some of the literary texts are written in standard language, while others use dialects, regional and local speech as a means of determining the affiliation with a particular region and promoting the preservation of native dialectological values.