Power and Seduction (Hungarians as Liviu Rebreanu Presented Them in His Novels)
Power and Seduction (Hungarians as Liviu Rebreanu Presented Them in His Novels)

Summary/Abstract: The essay deals with the problem of alterity as it appears in two major novels by the modernist Romanian writer, Rebreanu Liviu. The essay focuses mainly on ethnical alterity, represented by different characters of the novels belonging to the Hungarian minority and the nature of their relationship to the (Romanian) hero. Ethnical alterity is presented in four well-contoured forms: 1. The Other perceived as personal enemy (foe) or public enemy (eg. the representatives of the Austro-Hungarian rule). 2. The Other acting as an agent of Fate, representing hidden powers that will play a major role in both the intellectual formation and the personal tragedy of the hero. 3. The Other appearing in the double form of sexual and ethnical alterity personified by the angelic/demonic women figures. 4. Alterity mirrored by the language. The theoretic presentation of the problem of alterity in the modern age intermingles with the analysis of images, characters and plot.

• Details
• Contents