Čapkův vizuální experiment se žánrem cestopisu

Solic, M. (2010) Čapkův vizuální experiment se žánrem cestopisu. Bohemica Olomucensia, 1, pp. 98-111.

Abstract

This article discusses visual elements in Karel Capek's travel writing as semantic signs, and their simultaneous interaction with the narration. The explicit use of intermedial elements and their interaction with the text show the process of transformation of the travelogues from biographical to fictional depiction of the theme of travel. This is achieved through the subjective stance of the narrator, who searcher for "typicalities," which at the same time represent the essence of the cultural identity of the visited countries and a defamiliarized view on them. The paper in question gives an outline of the changes of the visual poetics of the narrative in relation to the poetics of the period, from the use of ekphrasis in Letters from Italy (Italske listy, 1923), to iconotext, the use of illustrations in Letters from England (Anglicke listy, 1924), and the interaction of the art of illustration and film in A Trip to Spain (Vylet do Spanel, 1930). The analysis of the travelogues: Images from Holland (Obrazky z Holandska, 1932) and A Journey to the North (Cesta na sever, 1936) will primarily focus on the use of "mirroring," in Mukarovsky's interpretation of semantic doubling as a narrative tool, whose complexity is similar to that of Capek's fictional worlds. The discussion of intermedial poetics of Capek's travelogues offers a new reading of the author's opus. The emphasis is on the writer, who at the same time illustrated his own works, and who used illustrations as semantic indexes in narration, hence taking part in the creation of the new 20th century poetics of travel writing, whereby the explicit visual elements play a crucial semantic role.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Solic, Dr Mirna
• Authors: Solic, M.
• Subjects: N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR; P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism; N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration; P Language and Literature > PG Slavic, Baltic, Albanian languages and literature
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Slavonic Studies
• Journal Name: Bohemica Olomucensia
• ISSN: 1803-876X

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