RITUALUL FUNERAR LA PAVEL DAN
THE FUNERAL RITE IN THE WORKS OF PAVEL DAN

Summary/Abstract: Pavel Dan, a Transylvanian writer of the modern era transposes into his literary work beliefs, customs and practices of rural communities in the Transylvanian Plain. The text The Wake is an example in this respect. The rites practiced in the night separating the time of death from that of funerals are outlined in detail: games during wake ceremony, theatrical scenes, playing cards, imitation and irony against family members etc. The result: a Dionysian picture where joy hides the fear of the dead person. The purpose to resort to folklore goes along with the approach of the intellectual writer to preserve popular culture. Transposition of folk customs into literary discourse is perceived by the writer with a sense of duty and innovation. The habits recorded endow the writing with original notes. Ethnological interwar records on rites of passage in Transylvania confirm the existence of these customs described by the novelist.

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