Vol. 13 No. 2 (2019): XIII International Symposium Contemporary Issues of Literary Studies : Political Events of 1980-1990s and Literary Discourse
Inter-textualism and Postmodernism

Postmodernist Motifs in Vazha Gigashvili’s Novel „One Person Kaplanishvili“

Ivane Amirkhanashvili
Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature

Published 2019-12-20

Keywords

  • Postmodern,
  • Repetition,
  • Detail,
  • Device

Abstract

Vazha Gigashvili uses the paradigm of Mikheil Javakhishvili’s Jaqo’s Dispossessed (Jako’s Khisnebi) and creates its modern variant. From the literary viewpoint, it is a rather difficult endeavor. At first glance, this is a postmodernist attempt, but if we look closely, we may arrive at completely different conclusion.

It is impossible to precisely determine, unambiguously admit, that this is precisely a postmodern work, in spite of some coincidences and stylistic signs, as the author has such internal impulses that are not directed to the postmodern unfolding of the theme.

The characters repeat literary prototypes; they have connections to genetic predecessors, but at the same time continue to act independently.

There are many postmodern details, but the main postmodern elements – irony and deconstruction are absent. Vazha Gigashvili does not set the goal of breaking ideological structure of Mikheil Javakhishvili’s text.