Bohemica Litteraria (May 2017)
Zdeněk Kožmín a strukturalismus
Abstract
Zdeněk Kožmín produced a wealth of inspiring literary interpretations, but he is also the author of a specific interpretation method. he present study deals with Kožmín's relationship to structuralism, mapping the structuralist principles adopted by him and incorporated into his theoretical and methodological apparatus. The text outlines seven key principles (a work of art as a sui generis phenomenon, working with material, concept of the whole and structure, understanding a work of art as a sign, concept of a model, dynamics of structures, and dialectics). The author of the paper demonstrates that structural analysis of a literary work and description of structural formation became an indivisible part of Kožmín's approach to interpretation of literary works. Nonetheless, Kožmín did not perceive structuralism as the only possible method of studying literary works, but rather as a point of departure, a support for developing an interpretative dialogue with a text. Kožmín's unique contribution to Czech literary heory and criticism lies in enriching structuralism with the dimension of hermeneutics and a philosophical-existential perspective.
