Tři Čechové a jejich (sou)druzi

Abstract

This study deals with Czech prose works of the 1850s, with particular consideration for an episode in the history of Czech literary production previously overlooked, namely the publication of prose works as part of the Library of Czech Original Historical and Modern Novels (1855–1860). The author focuses in particular on Václav Ž. Donovský’s novel Tři Čechové (‘Three Czechs’, 1855), drawing attention to his skill with form, as well as linguistic and thematic innovations (the dynamic position of the narrator, subjectivised description of space, use of colloquial language, irony, etc.). In addition, he considers the text’s cultural-historical significance and founding position in the context of Czech social prose. On the basis of Donovský’s novel and other prose works in the Library, the author then observes how the relationship between the romantic and realist literary models reflects the transitory nature of the beginnings of capitalist society. In conclusion, he considers the reasons for the unfavourable critical reception of the novel in its own time, and the possible renewal of its significance today.

Keywords

• václav ž. donovský
• library of czech original historical and modern novels
• 19th century prose works
• the social novel; capitalism
• the literary canon
• irony