The paradigmatic connection between myth and national identity in Dritëro Agolli's literature

Abstract

As part of popular culture, studies on identity are closely related to nationalist discourses, because they are built on the basis of a common origin, which is myth. No popular culture has overlooked myth throughout its history, and for this reason nationalistic discourses based on myth have been and remain the reference point of the present over the past. This paper aims to show exactly how the myth comes and is taken over in time, showing that a great author like Dritëro Agolli, comes and approaches the myth and its connection with the national identity in a much later period of time than when he was dominant in society. Thus, being ideological (for the period in question), Agolli's nationalist discourse during the period of Socialist Realism bypasses traditional myths by building new myths in accordance with the dominant communist ideology. The period of Socialist Realism has been chosen since it is not only less studied from this point of view, but also for the debates it creates from time to time in relation to certain literary and social contexts and even more so because the national identity in this period takes a other form and meaning. Seen as a case study, for this paper some of Agolli's representative works have been selected where the discourse about the nation and the homeland is expressed, but this is taken in a limited period of time, such as that of Socialist Realism, because it not only expresses more clearly the connection with the primordial element but also because it specifies the context and background of our work.