Delo Dž. R. R. Tolkina u svetlu dijahronijskog sagledavanja viteškog romana

Abstract

Ova disertacija analizira dela engleskog pisca Džona Ronalda Rejela Tolkina kao deo kontinuiteta čiji početak leži u viteškom romanu, a čiji izdanak u Tolkinovo vreme počiva u žanru romanse. Vrši se istorijski pregled najvažnijih dela iz srednjovekovne tradicije, ukazujući na motive, teme, religijske, filozofske, društvene, ideološke i sve druge slojeve koje je Tolkin preuzeo i iskoristio u svojim delima ugledajući se na svoje davne prethodnike. Daje se pregled četiri različita ciklusa viteških romana, Arturijanskog, Karolinškog, Rimskog i Engleskog. Naročita pažnja posvećena je Arturijanskom ciklusu, jer je najznačajniji i vrlo uticajan u samoj Britaniji, gde je legenda o kralju Arturu dobila status nacionalnog mitosa. Kontrastiranjem Tolkinovih i srednjovekovnih dela dolazi se do korisnih i značajnih paralela pomoću kojih se vidi šta je u Tolkinovom delu srednjovekovno a šta moderno. Disertacija se takođe bavi problematikom žanra viteškog romana. Najpre se osporavaju neke teorije koje žanrove i dela iz tih žanrova pokušavaju da definišu putem vanknjiževnih kriterijuma, poput ideologije, antropoloških uvida, psihoanalitičkih teorija. Zatim se nudi jedno drugačije tumačenje suštine viteškog romana i romanse, i daje teorija kojom se objašnjava postanak romanse iz viteškog romana, i fantazije iz romanse. Izlaže se i Tolkinova teorija fantazije data u njegovom eseju „O vilinskim pričama“ da bi zatim bila povezana sa prethodnim razmatranjima. Ukazuje se na to da je fantazija kod Tolkina neraskidivo vezana i sa srednjovekovnim hrišćanskim pogledom na svet i sa viteškim romanom. Pokazuje se da hrišćanstvo obezbeđuje metafiziku širokog, prostranog sveta prepunog mogućnosti, dok viteški roman u prvi plan izbacuje pojedinca koji je u potrazi za smislom. Naposletku, ove niti istraživanja ujedinjuju se u primeni na konkretnim Tolkinovim delima: Deci Hurinovoj, Pesmi o Otruu i Itrun, Propasti Arturovoj, Farmeru Džajlzu od Buta, Hobitu i Gospodaru prstenova.

This dissertation examines the works of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien as a part of continuity the beginning of which lies in the chivalric romance, but whose outspring in Tolkien's time lies in the genre of romance. Therefore this dissertation presents a historical overview of the most important works from the medieval tradition, pointing at motifs, themes, religious, philosophical, social, ideological, and all other layers that Tolkien took over and made use of in his works by trying to imitate his predecessors. We give an overview of the four chivalric cycles: Matter of Britain, Matter of France, Matter of Rome, and Matter of England. Special attention is given to the Arthurian cycle, for it is generally the most significant and is very influential in Britain itself, where the legend of King Arthur has received the status of the national myth. By contrasting Tolkien’s works with medieval literature we arrived at useful and significant parallels by which we can discern the medieval from the modern aspects in Tolkien’s works. The dissertation also deals with the problem of the romance genre. First it disputes some theories which endeavour to define the genre and the works belonging to it by nonliterary criteria, such as ideology, anthropological insights, and psycho-analytical theories. Then we offer a different interpretation of the essence of the chivalric romance and romance, and propose a theory by which the emergence of romance from chivalric romance and fantasy from romance is explained. What is also presented is Tolkien’s theory of fantasy given in his essay “On Fairystories” and it is related to the previous discussion. It is shown that fantasy in Tolkien is strongly connected both with the Christian medieval worldview and with the chivalric romance. It is argued that Christianity provides the metaphysics of a wide, spacious world full of possibilities,while chivalric romance places the individual in search for the meaning to the fore. In the end, these threads of research are united and applied in the interpretation of specific works by Tolkien: The Children of Hurin, The Lay of Aoutrou and Itroun, The Fall of Arthur, Farmer Giles of Ham, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.