Open AccessThe return of epic formulas in various Italian translations of Kosovka djevojka (The Kosovo maiden)
Author(s) -
Marija Bradaš
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
balcanica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2406-0801
pISSN - 0350-7653
DOI - 10.2298/balc1344139b
Subject(s) - poetics , poetry , interpretation (philosophy) , serbian , context (archaeology) , literature , relation (database) , rhetorical question , parry , epic , oral poetry , field (mathematics) , philology , history , philosophy , linguistics , art , sociology , computer science , mathematics , gender studies , archaeology , feminism , database , artificial intelligence , pure mathematics
The paper makes a comparative analysis of the various Italian translations of the famous Serbian popular poem Kosovka djevojka [The Kosovo Maiden] and illustrates the different interpretations and consequent translations of epic formulas in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italy. The Parry-Lord oral formulaic theory, together with other important contributions in the field of oral studies, is a starting point for this analysis, which also takes into consideration the socio-cultural context in which these translations were produced. Translation solutions are therefore brought into relation with the poetics of individual translators and especially with the socio-cultural context of their time. Particular attention is devoted to the centuries-old Italian rhetorical tradition, which influenced even the greatest experts in popular poetry in their interpretation of the figures and clichés typical of oral production