Вино пију три добра јунака (сижејни потенцијал формуле у усменој поезији)
Three Brave Heroes Drinking Wine (The Sujet-Related Potential of Formulas in Oral Poetry)

Author(s): Snežana Samardzija
Subject(s): Oral history, Serbian Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Институт за књижевност и уметност
Summary/Abstract: Even though it seems that the recurrent image of drinking wine is one of those constants that are neutral in terms of the sujet, it encompasses a number of structural factors (chronotope, hero, metrical organisation, the context of improvisation, etc.). Being very flexible, this formula can be found in all positions in the “text“, and it supports the meaning of numerous situations that are stylised in accordance with the rules of oral epic poetry, lyrical and lyrical-epic genres. A stable minimum model manifests a broad spectrum of meanings, along with activating the pagan and Christian layers of our heritage, the ethnographic basis, the reality of the collective and reminiscences of the historical past. In this paper, we follow the functions and meanings of the formula of drinking and serving wine that are connected with the poetics of oral forms andvarious models (initiation of the bridegroom; a slandered hero; refilling a glass; self-praise and realisation of a plan; unfaithful relatives, etc.). Most frequently found in the initial position of a “text“, the formula also gets shifted towards other syntagmatic levels, whereby its semantic and sujet-related potential is increased (from a reflex of a ritual act to complications essential for the development of the sujet and the characterisation of the protagonists, from initiation of the horizon of expectation and emotional involvement of the reader, through making a point, to parody). The manifold functions and possibilities of its application are adjusted to the symbolic values of wine, the genre rules and the circumstances of realising the variants.

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