Elements of literary agrarianism and utopianism in Milo Urban’s novel Mists at dawn

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse the elements of literary agrarianism in the novel Mists at dawn (1930) by Milo Urban (1904 – 1982). Typical elements of literary agrarianism include the idealisation of the peasant life, the mythologising of the land and agricultural work, nationalism, the relationship between humanity and nature, the contrast between town and village, and the individualism of the peasant. An analysis of these elements reveals the broader socio-political and cultural context of Urban’s novel, highlighting its ties to literary ruralism, the Heimatroman genre familiar in German-language literature, and both communist and radical nationalist visions of the “new world” and the “new man.” The article places special emphasis on the novel’s utopian elements, particularly in the depiction of Adam Hlavaj’s home environment. Utopianism is represented through such typical attributes as liminality, exclusivity, otherness, and creativity. In addition to its literary aspects, the work is also interpreted as a source reflecting a certain stage in the development of Milo Urban’s worldview. The footnotes to the article enrich the interpretation with annotated excerpts from Urban’s journalism, which explore the same themes and ideas found in the novel.

Keywords

• milo urban
• mists at dawn
• literary agrarianism
• “new world”