K „figúram spomínania“ v slovenskej vojvodinskej literatúre

In this paper, I base my work on the theory of cultural memory and the definition of “figures of remembrance”. These are culturally created and socially binding images of remembrance (M. Halbwachs), with the concept of figure being preferred to image because it is required not only for iconic but also for narrative formation (Assmann 2001). The three established aspects of figures of remembrance include the relationship to space and time, the relationship to the group, and the specific process of reconstructivity. If we perceive literature as the (linguistic) objectification of images and memories, we can also identify several symbolic images of collective remembrance in the literature of Vojvodina Slovaks. They are associated with the formation and spread of collective memory and are tied to certain places (lowlands, Dolná zem, Báčka) and time segments – calendar holidays and manifestations, during which past events such as moving, founding a village or building a house are symbolically revived. Through the figures of remembrance, the characteristics of the group, its values and ideals are reproduced, for example, industriousness, cleanliness, but also creativity among Vojvodina Slovaks. The origin and succession of historical duration must also be confirmed (by thematizing ancestors and significant personalities). The last aspect of reconstructivity actually determines what is to be remembered and what is needed, because the process is not so much related to the truthfulness as to the usefulness of memories, it is also socially conditioned (by linguistic and extra-linguistic means). However, most often, reconstructivity is related to the first two aspects of the figures of remembrance. Recently, in Slovak minority culture, "figures of remembrance" have been more intensely present in other arts and media (theater, stage performances, folklore, instinctive art), but it was precisely artistic literature that contributed to their establishment and persistence to a significant extent. We illustrate the aspect of reconstructivity with the national narrative about the migration to the Lower Land.