ELEMENTI TRAGIČNOG U USMENIM BAJKAMA
ELEMENTS OF THE TRAGIC IN ORAL FAIRY TALES

Author(s): Amira Dervišević
Subject(s): Studies of Literature, Bosnian Literature, South Slavic Languages, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu
Keywords: oral fairy tale; tragic motives; unhappy ending;
Summary/Abstract: In the literature on oral literature in the South Slavic Yugoslav area, fairy tales are most often described as stories that reflect an optimistic worldview. However, in the long chain of oral literary tradition, there are also oral fairy tales that mirror tragic elements. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the oral fairy tale style, it is of great importance to examine the function of the tragic elements in these stories. The starting assumptions are that the mentioned elements interconnect the world of the fairy tale and influence its interpretation. The paper aims to explore the tragic in oral fairy tales and to determine its function through selected examples recorded in the Bosniak environment. After analysis and interpretation, using the comparative method and methods of text analysis, it is concluded that tragic elements are present in the motives and endings of fairy tales. Tragic motifs lose their tone upon integration into the fairy tale and do not affect the function of the fairy tale, unlike an unhappy ending which disrupts the style of the fairy tale and which enhances the instructiveness of the story. The insights presented in the paper aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of the oral fairy tale style.

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