Divkovic' s beside (sayings) in the light of the medieval literary tradition

Abstract

The author deals with those elements of the Medieval literary tradition found in Divkovic's longest and most popular work Beside (Sayings). This excursion into the distant past brings to light the problems and the values by which something was supposed to be a work of art and the criteria of its valorisation. Each Medieval literary work of art was valued to the extent that it gave an explanation of a given truth. The following comprise the elements of qualitative interpretations: simplicity, accessibility to all ears, the repetition of specific word and word-groups, emphasis and the elocution of the interpreter. Certain stylistic, lexical and syntactical procedures determined the narrative style of texts of this period and contributed to a more expressive, fuller and livelier experience of the text. Through these procedures Divkovié attempted to erase the diffrenece between what was communicated to the audience through word of mouth and the text which represented the same content to his readers. This paper on Divković makes a contribution to our knowledge of the Medieval writer who was the first to use the vernacular in the historically complex and vulnrable territory of Bosnia.