Literary History and the Dominant Discourse – Miroslav Šicel’s Attitude Towards the Illyrian Movement

Abstract

Th is paper demonstrates how Miroslav Šicel, the historian of Croatian literature, changes his attitude towards the Illyrian movement, depending on the context in and for which he writes. The complexity of the discourse from which history of literature emerges is quickly overcome in order to master phenomena of literary past and to meet the desires of the dominant discourse. Furthermore, this paper shows how the researcher shapes literary history in order to make it comprehensible, continuous and constant. For this purpose, it is crucial to revise, improve, and expand particularly these neuralgic places that may bring discomfort to our firmly constructed identities.