Abstract
/ Dositej’s enlightenment ideology is examined by interpreting the sym- bolic meanings of lion in Fables (1788). Applying literary-historical, structuralist and comparative methods of interpretation, the semantic range of literary lions is illuminated: from reference to (un)enlightened being (due to greed, destruction and bloodthirstiness) to reference to the characteristics and nature of enlightened beings (due to mercy, gratitude, purity). Dositej Obradović underlines the key ideas of enlightenment ideology through allegorical representations of lions, which reveal the basic characteristics of an enlightened ruler: love for all branches of science and art, nurturing and building the right taste, spreading useful knowledge among all social classes. If merciful/wise lion is the bearer of an enlightened mind, it means that the nature of an enlightened ruler, untouched by selfish individualism, promises a just political and social order. In order to reform people’s life and society, the ruler must lead the process of „coming out” from nonage by speaking out against coercion, inhumanity, superstition and bad customs.
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