Subversive Identities in the Bosniak Oral Epic

Abstract

The Bosniak oral epic offered a palette of interesting epic heroes, who by their basic characteristics arecompletely convincingly functioning as complex literary characters. They are, on the basis ofrecognizable epic identities, with several emphasized features (heroism, individualism, fighting attitudetowards the world, ethics), structured so that they are open to new living contents from their plate ofsimplicity and closure. For this process of filling in life’s content, we have borrowed Jonathan Culler’sterm vraisemblance, which we can translate as credibility, and relates to the writer’s need to bring ahigher degree of conviction into the world of work. Thus, the mythical figure of Đerzelez Alija, throughthe psychological process, moved from the mythological center in the dynamic and marginal area of theborderland, the fearless hero Mujo Hrnjica was given the opportunity to feel and show fear and moveto a rich female environment, while the bright antihero Budalina Tale with its Renaissance carnivalspirit, shows the highest degree of openness to the other. Life-filled and additionally authenticated, theseidentities outweigh the basic identity postulates of closeness and exclusion to another.