Short Forms of Oral Literary Tradition in Andrić’s Fiction

Abstract

Oral literature is a significant part of written literary tradition, particularly when it comes to writers such as Ivo Andrić who often tend to thematise the historical past and folk culture. In his opus, oral literature emerges throughout various forms and it has different artistic functions. In this paper, the focus is on short forms of oral literary tradition in his fiction. The emphasis is on concrete examples of short forms in his novels and short stories, such as catchphrases, sayings, proverbs, curses, spells, predictions, toasts, alongside the cursory review of both lyric and epic oral poetry. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the multifunctionality of different modes of oral literary heritage in Andrić's prose oeuvre.