Josip Stritar’s Literary Oeuvre and His Views on Ethics and Morality

Abstract

The article discusses Josip Stritarʼs literary works from the point of view of ethical literary criticism. To this end, it analyses the presence of ethics and morality in his writings, his views on the role of the artist/creator, and his views on the nature of literary art. Stritar interspersed ethical themes in his works; at an earlier stage, he prescribed a certain ethical attitude for the poet/writer, and he saw the essence of art as promoting and raising ethical consciousness. In Stritarʼs mature and later period, the writerʼs ethical stance and is view of the ethical essence of literature are transformed into a sense of morality and moralization. Stritar perceives this change, but despite his attempts, he cannot adequately explain it.