This paper analyzes the concepts of happiness (felicitas), beatitude (beatitudo) and fate (fortuna) in Radoslav Petković’s novel, Savršeno sećanje na smrt ([Perfect Remembrance of Death], Belgrade 2008). Although this work is dominated by the by pre-Christian and neo-Platonic philosophy and oriental mysticism (Hermes Trismegistus, Pythagoras, Plato, Iamblichus) that the important Byzantine philosopher, George Gemistos Plethon, diffused among his disciples, the key idea present in the novel comes from a work by John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent (7th century A.D.) and, more specifically, from the 6th chapter of that work, “The Remembrance of Death”. The novel also deals with metempsychosis or reincarnation. This notion of remembering death has to do with Climacus’ precept that a blind archer is useless. Functionally, these ideas in the novel are connected by the main and the only non historical character, Philarion, who was forced to become a monk against his will, but also remains a skilled archer, and as such is led to meditate on a number of theories about the nature of the dividing line between life and death. Reduced, however, formally and structurally to the essential, he is aware that as a human being he does not know where the boundary with death is to be found.
Carobni strelac ili sreca savrsenog secanja na smrt
LAZAREVIC, Persida
2015-01-01
Abstract
This paper analyzes the concepts of happiness (felicitas), beatitude (beatitudo) and fate (fortuna) in Radoslav Petković’s novel, Savršeno sećanje na smrt ([Perfect Remembrance of Death], Belgrade 2008). Although this work is dominated by the by pre-Christian and neo-Platonic philosophy and oriental mysticism (Hermes Trismegistus, Pythagoras, Plato, Iamblichus) that the important Byzantine philosopher, George Gemistos Plethon, diffused among his disciples, the key idea present in the novel comes from a work by John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent (7th century A.D.) and, more specifically, from the 6th chapter of that work, “The Remembrance of Death”. The novel also deals with metempsychosis or reincarnation. This notion of remembering death has to do with Climacus’ precept that a blind archer is useless. Functionally, these ideas in the novel are connected by the main and the only non historical character, Philarion, who was forced to become a monk against his will, but also remains a skilled archer, and as such is led to meditate on a number of theories about the nature of the dividing line between life and death. Reduced, however, formally and structurally to the essential, he is aware that as a human being he does not know where the boundary with death is to be found.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
