Uuspaganlik vanapagan - August Kitzbergi „Maimu” kui ajalooline romaan ja mütograafiline essee
A Neopagan Old Pagan - Maimu by August Kitzberg as a Historical Novel and a Mythographic Essay

Summary/Abstract: The Estonian historical novel dates back to the 1880s. One the first such novels was August Kitzberg’s Maimu (1892) depicting the relations between local people and the Livonian order in the 14th century. Maimu was extremely popular and has been abundantly reprinted. However, literary scholars have always been reluctant to admit its merits because of its hybrid form and historical anachronisms. Meanwhile they have noticed its religious commitment and a critical attitude towards Christianity. Drawing from some recent researches, this paper argues that hybridity (Ann Rigney) and the palimpsest paradigm (Tom Bragg) have been essential generic traits of the historical novel from the very beginning. The distinctive feature of Maimu is its explicit hybridity, allowing the reader to distinguish between its fictional, mythical and historical layers without any effort. This feature should not be considered a weakness today. Nonetheless, Kitzberg’s novel is also conspicuous for its intertextual affluence, ranging from local oral tradition and old chronicles to Torquato Tasso, Abbé Prévost and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In closer inspection it becomes clear that Kitzberg’s intention was not restricted to a simple description of the foregone milieu and mentality. Maimu is a neopagan manifesto combining a mythical dimension with a utopian vision of a new community that refers to pre-Christian direct democracy. This utopian vision does not resemble classical utopianism, which was characterized by a dogmatic rationalism and a justification of means by ends. On the contrary, it is closer to the anarchist utopias of the 20th century, lacking the idea of perfection. Kitzberg’s vision of a utopian community is equally oriented to nature, associating him with later neopagan literature. Hence, Maimu can be considered a unique literary achievement anticipating in many respects the postromantic and postmodern developments.

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