Panelės Viktorijos kalbos jausmas
Miss Viktorija’s Feeling for Language

Summary/Abstract: Based on Émile Benveniste’s concept of subjectivity in language and rhythm, the article analyzes Šatrijos Ragana’s short story Viktutė (1903). The writer’s choice to present the narrative in diaristic form legitimized the spontaneity and openness of the main character and the individuality of the language components. In the short story, Viktutė, having discovered the beauty of the Lithuanian language, began to use this language more and more in everyday life, started writing a diary, thus creating the conditions for the realization, significance, and historicity of her individual self. Viktutė’s individuality does not come from the realization that she is herself, but from the feeling of unity with others, from the discovery of herself in the lives of others, expressed via language. Assuming that a lot of autobiographical elements can be found in the short story, Viktutė’s transformation into Miss Viktorija can be interpreted as Marija Pečkauskaitė’s transformation into Šatrijos Ragana. Marija Pečkauskaitė’s decision to identify with Lithuanian national identity and propagate it coincided with the strengthening of individuality and the need to realize it by joining the community of Lithuanian patriots.

• Details
• Contents