»Poetische Versuche 1843–44« by Luiza Pesjak: An Attempt at the Placementof a German Literary Work from Slovene Lands into the Framework of Slovene Literary History

Abstract

On the example of the Slovene-German writer, Luiza Pesjak, the article problematizes the approach of the traditional, nationally oriented literary history, which-similarly to the national culture and literature - became the territory of constitution of national identity, but in becoming that, it often forgot about the processes in literature itself, which were far more complex. In the continuation of the article the author places the German part of Luiza Pesjak's opus in the framework of Slovene literary history as a complementary pole of her Slovene literature creativity. With this placement she overcomes the linguistic criterion, dominating the traditional literary criticism (which can blur the processes in literature), and underscores the literary processes, which were not always nationally "pure". The analysis and interpretation of poems point out some of their most prominent features in terms of content, motifs, themes, and style as well as it indicates their place in literature.