Studia Slavica
Volume/Issue:
Volume 66: Issue 1
Zeyer’s Epicism and Lyricism
Author:
Martin Schacherl Katedra slovanských jazyků a literatur, Pedagogická fakulta, Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Jeronýmova 10, CZ-371 15 České Budějovice, Česká republika, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Education, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Search for other papers by Martin Schacherl in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Pages:
189–198
Online Publication Date:
22 Apr 2022
Publication Date:
22 Apr 2022
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/060.2021.00015
Keywords:
style; Julius Zeyer; Czech literature in the 19th century; poetry and prose; lyricism; epicism; the descriptive style; visual imagery; long epic sentence
Restricted access

This paper aims to explore the literary creations of the Czech poet Julius Zeyer (1841–1901) within the complexity of his poetic works, except dramas. The poet, prosaist, and dramatist Julius Zeyer ranks among the classic Czech authors active in the second half of the 19th century. Literary historians traditionally link him with the Lumír generation but he is often grouped also with the New Romantics contributing to periodicals Ruch, Lumír, and Květy, or, possibly, with the ‘sensitives’ of the 19th-century European culture.

His works comprise texts of indisputable, time-honoured value, beside the texts on the verge of conventional fiction. Quantitatively, the literary production of Julius Zeyer comprises more than two thirds of epic works; almost two fifths are dramas; only a few of them are (purely) lyrical poems representing just a fraction of his comprehensive output. The proportions of the explored poetry and prose also feature two-third ratio in favour of prose against (in Zeyer, mostly epic) poetry.

The starting point of our search for specific features of his authorial style was the accentuation of Zeyer’s “epicism” and “lyricism” in references, i.e. throughout the overall reception of the poet’s texts, regardless of literary genres, often coexisting in contradictory meanings. Specifically, this study aims at the identification and linguistic analysis of selected devices to convey epic and lyric aspects in Zeyer’s epic poetry and prose.

Despite the dominant representation of epics and prose, Zeyer’s style shows distinctly lyrical features, even within the extent of his production as a whole. The lyrical nature of his epic works is enhanced by his exclusively visual imagery, purposely different from common speech, with stylistically marked bookish and archaic elements, bearing the marks of literary art nouveau.

In the middle and final stages of the poet’s creative career, his lyricism is enhanced by the changing rhythm of his narrative accentuated by the receding textual dramatization; by a greater share of non-narrative segments in the story; and through the tension ensuing from the contrasts between subjectivity / objectivity; between personification / impersonality; or between outer / inner perspective of the narrative, based on the linguistic form of concrete fictional texts and on the concrete perspective in which the story is actually mediated. Displayed in all of his literary works, lyricism is a characteristic and permanent feature of Julius Zeyer’s authorial style.

  • Culler J. Theory of the Lyric. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2015.

  • Fryčer J. Zeyerova role v české literatuře na konci 19. století. Česká dekadence, novoromantismus a modernismus – francouzský příklad. In: Julius Zeyer, lumírovský básník v duchovním dění Evropy. Brno: Host, 2009. 20–28.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hegel G. W. F. Estetika II. Praha: Odeon, 1966.

  • Herben J. Julius Zeyer (Drobná črta). Beseda. Čas, 31 ledna 1901. 2.

  • Hrabák J. Poetika. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1973.

  • Hrabák J. Poetika. 2. vydání. Praha: Československý spisovatel, 1977.

  • Hugo F. The Structure of Modern Poetry. From the Mid-Nineteenth to the Mid-Twentieth Century. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1974.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jackson V., Prins Y. The Lyric Theory Reader. A Critical Anthology. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.

  • Kirilov [Jarolímek L.] Julius Zeyer: Amparo a jiné povídky. Rozhledy 6 (1897): 408–409.

  • Krejčí F. V. Julius Zeyer. Duch a práce. Praha: Hejda a Tuček, 1901.

  • Kšicová D. Secese – slovo a tvar. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1998.

  • Kvapil J. Š. Gotický Zeyer. Praha: Václav Petr, 1942.

  • Mrštík V. Moje sny. Praha: Nakladatelské družstvo Máje, 1902.

  • Novák V. Julius Zeyer. Praha: F. Topič, 1921.

  • Novák A. Nosiči pochodní. Praha: Umělecká beseda a Kruh českých spisovatelů, 1928.

  • Pospíšil I. Geneologie a proměny literatury. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1998.

  • Pynsent R. B. Julius Zeyer. The Path to Decadence. The Hague – Paris: Mouton, 1973.

  • Renč V. Julius Zeyer. Poznámky k jubileu. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1941.

  • Schacherl M. K tematické výstavbě raných próz básníka Julia Zeyera. Bohemistyka 2009/2: 90–98.

  • Schacherl M. Vyprávěcí osoba v próze Julia Zeyera. In: Julius Zeyer, lumírovský básník v duchovním dění Evropy. Brno: Host, 2011. 154–160.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schacherl M. Zeyer vypravěč. Vybrané rysy stylu prozaických prací Julia Zeyera. České Budějovice: Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, 2013.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schacherl M. The (Formal) Exclusiveness of Julius Zeyer’s Literary Language. Opera Slavica 2019/3: 5–11.

  • Tomášek M. Mytická krajina Zeyerova Vyšehradu. In: Julius Zeyer, lumírovský básník v duchovním dění Evropy. Brno: Host, 2009. 219–234.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Vlček T. Julius Zeyer a výtvarné umění. Sochy, obrazy a sny. Vodňany: Městské muzeum a galerie, 1988.

  • Vlček T. (usp.) Texty, sny, obrazy. Sborník Zeyerovských přednášek. Vodňany: Městské muzeum, 1997.

  • Voborník J. Julius Zeyer – se dvěma podobiznami. (Spisy Julia Zeyera 35.) Praha: Unie, 1907.

  • Vrchlický J. Nekrolog Julia Zeyera. Hlas národa, 30 ledna 1901.

  • Zbrojný V. Julius Zeyer. Praha: Melantrich, 1921.

  • Collapse
  • Expand
Cover Studia Slavica
Studia Slavica
Print ISSN:
0039-3363
Online ISSN:
1588-290X

Senior editors

Editor-in-Chief: Róbert KISS SZEMÁN (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)

Editorial Board

  • Krisztina MENYHÁRT (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)
  • Péter PÁTROVICS (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)
  • Kata JURACSEK (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)

Secretary of the Board

  • Sarolta TÓTHPÁL ((Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)

Advisory Board

  • Krasimira ALEKSOVA (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, BG)
  • Dalibor DOBIÁŠ (Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ)
  • Joanna GOSZCZIYŃSKA (University of Warsaw, PL)
  • Mária GYÖNGYÖSI (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)
  • László JÁSZAY (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)
  • Marko JESENŠEK (University of Maribor, SLO)
  • Mihály KOCSIS (University of Szeged, HU)
  • Katalin KROÓ (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)
  • Stefan Michael NEWERKLA (University of Vienna, A)
  • Ivana TARANENKOVÁ (Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK)
  • Dalibor TUREČEK (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, CZ)
  • Slobodanka Millicent VLADIV-GLOVER (Monash University, Clayton Campus, AUS)
  • Kazimierz WOLNY-ZMORZYŃSKI (University of Silesia in Katowice, PL)
  • András ZOLTÁN (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HU)

 

Sarolta TÓTHPÁL (Secretary of the board)
Institute of Slavonic and Baltic Philology
Eötvös Loránd University
H-1088 Budapest, Hungary
Phone: (+36-1)411-6500 ext. 5253
E-mail: studiasl@btk.elte.hu

Indexing and Abstracting Services:

  • America: History and Life
  • Bibliographie Linguistique/Linguistic Bibliography
  • CABELLS Journalytics
  • Historical Abstracts
  • International Bibliographies IBZ and IBR
  • Linguistics Abstracts
  • MLA International Bibliography
  • SCOPUS

 

 

2023  
Scopus  
CiteScore 0
CiteScore rank Q4 (History)
SNIP 0
Scimago  
SJR index 0.101
SJR Q rank Q4

Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Publication Model Hybrid
Submission Fee none
Article Processing Charge 900 EUR/article
Printed Color Illustrations 40 EUR (or 10 000 HUF) + VAT / piece
Regional discounts on country of the funding agency World Bank Lower-middle-income economies: 50%
World Bank Low-income economies: 100%
Further Discounts Editorial Board / Advisory Board members: 50%
Corresponding authors, affiliated to an EISZ member institution subscribing to the journal package of Akadémiai Kiadó: 100%
Subscription fee 2025 Online subsscription: 632 EUR / 694 USD
Print + online subscription: 724 EUR / 796 USD
Subscription Information Online subscribers are entitled access to all back issues published by Akadémiai Kiadó for each title for the duration of the subscription, as well as Online First content for the subscribed content.
Purchase per Title Individual articles are sold on the displayed price.

Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Language Slavic languages
English
French
German
Size B5
Year of
Foundation		 1955
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 2
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0039-3363 (Print)
ISSN 1588-290X (Online)

Monthly Content Usage

Abstract Views Full Text Views PDF Downloads
Oct 2024 33 1 1
Nov 2024 19 0 0
Dec 2024 17 0 0
Jan 2025 33 0 0
Feb 2025 23 0 0
Mar 2025 19 0 0
Apr 2025 0 0 0