LA COMPLEXITE DE LA FIGURE DE LA FEMME DANS LA LITTERATURE POPULAIRE DES PEUPLES BALKANIQUES
THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FEMALE FIGURE IN BALKAN FOLK ART

Summary/Abstract: Among the many legitimate questions that surface in contemporary readings of Balkan folk literature, a central one is that of the representation of the female figure. Her image is complex, at times embodying submission and sacrifice, but at the same time exalted for the moral values it carries. In this paper, we analyze the representation of the female figure based on several works of the time. First, we focus on the poem “Sad Ballad of the Noble Woman of Hasan-aga”, the only original work in Prosper Mérimée’s mystification anthology Guzla. We then consider two versions of the legend of the walled bride: the Serbian poem ‘The Construction of Skadar’ and the Bulgarian poem ‘Master Manol and the Young Walled-in Bride’. Finally, we attempt a comparative analysis,taking into account all the works studied.

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