The Theme of War in Georgian and German Baroque Literature (Davit Guramishvili and Andreas Gryphius)

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Konstantine Bregadze

Abstract

The fierce Thirty Years' War in 17th century Germany (1618-1648) and the internal political chaos in 18th century Georgia (political fragmentation), the foreign aggression of the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Iran against Georgian Kingdoms (Kingdom of Kartli, Kingdom of Kakheti, Kingdom of Imereti) became the subject of poetic creativity, in particular, in the works of the famous German Baroque writer Andreas Gryphius (1616-1664) and the poem "Davitiani" by the representative of Georgian Baroque, Davit Guramishvili (1705-1792). War is considered here as an apocalyptic event that not only destroys the homeland politically and economically but also war is regarded as a universal catastrophe, because it destroys all perspectives on human existence, making the course of history lose its meaning. The lyrical characters of these authors reflect this hopelessness and meaninglessness with the baroque characteristic of Baroque, the deep sense of vanity, and the high style of Baroque poetry (genus grande), which makes the theme of war more apocalyptic than apocalypse itself.

Published: Nov 14, 2022

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Colonial, Postcolonial, Decolonial and Neocolonial Experiences