“Slovene Cultural Syndrome” in Slovene National and Comparative Literary Histories

Abstract

Rupel's theory on the "Slovene cultural syndrome" (SCS), similarly to Pirjevec's "Prešeren structure" (PS), explains the aesthetic retardation of Slovene literature as a consequences of its national function, i.e., serving as a substitute for politics and ideological "superstructure" of a nation lacking statehood. Both theories are questionable, as they are mainly derived from the self-perception of Slovene writers, overlooking the broader comparative context. SCS is not a Slovene pecularity, but merely a variety of European cultural nationalism. Slovene national and comparative literary histories derive from the same ideological matrix.