Link to the University of Pittsburgh Homepage
Link to the University Library System Homepage Link to the Contact Us Form

Hang him high: The elevation of Jánošík to an ethnic icon

Votruba, M (2006) Hang him high: The elevation of Jánošík to an ethnic icon. Slavic Review, 65 (1). 24 - 44. ISSN 0037-6779

[img]
Preview
PDF (The birth of the legand of highwayman Juraj Janosik's legend)
Updated Version
Available under License : See the attached license file.

Download (499kB) | Preview
[img] Plain Text (licence)
Available under License : See the attached license file.

Download (1kB)

Abstract

In this paper, Martin Votruba traces the evolution of the Jánošík myth. The highwayman Jánošík is a living legend in Czech, Polish, and Slovak cultures. Contrary to common claims, the modern celebratory myth of the brigand hanged in the eighteenth century is at odds with the traditional images of brigandage in the western Carpathians. Folk songs and The Hungarian Simplicissimus of the seventeenth century often anathematize highway robbery. High literature of the mostly Slovak counties of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Habsburg empire similarly cast Jánošík as a criminal. Yet some intellectuals, such as Pavol Jozef Šafárik, inspired by the robber in German literature, singled out Jánošík from among other brigands and reduced that folklore-based opprobrium. Others, such as Ján Kollár, resisted Jánošík's rehabilitation. Subsequent Central European national revivals and ethnic activism prompted the Slovak romantic poets to reinvent Jánošík as a folk rebel against social and ethnic oppression.


Share

Citation/Export:
Social Networking:
Share |

Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Votruba, Mvotruba@pitt.eduVOTRUBA
Centers: Other Centers, Institutes, Offices, or Units > Center for Russian and East European Studies
Date: 1 March 2006
Date Type: Publication
Journal or Publication Title: Slavic Review
Volume: 65
Number: 1
Page Range: 24 - 44
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.2307/4148521
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Slavic Languages and Literatures
Refereed: Yes
ISSN: 0037-6779
Related URLs:
Other ID: 2802
Date Deposited: 14 Jan 2010 13:56
Last Modified: 02 Feb 2019 16:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/2802

Metrics

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com


Actions (login required)

View Item View Item