Page 140 - Vinkler, Jonatan, Ana Beguš and Marcello Potocco. Eds. 2019. Ideology in the 20th Century: Studies of literary and social discourses and practices. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 140
Ideology in the 20th Century: studies of literary and social discourses and practices
from the publication, the publishing house even added a short note to the
colophon: “on the suggestion of the Youth Association of Cultural Work-
ers (Zveza mladih kulturnih delavcev), published by Mladinska knjiga”.
Even before the publication of the collection, reviewers already
formed their opinion on Škerl’s work based on her publications in liter-
ary journals. Škerl’s poetry was mentioned already during the meeting
of young writers and literates organised by Mladinska revija. In his pres-
entation, Miško Kranjec mentioned the narrow erotic theme of her po-
etry (Mladinska 1948/49, 58), an objection which was further and even
more violently repeated by other participants (see also Kovič 1992, 89).
While reviewers admitted that Škerl was a talented poet, wrote a well-
formed poetry, was courageous in her personal writing, and had a sin-
cere and clear style (Škerl in Pibernik 90), they objected to her formalism,
140 manners, and poetic construction (ibid.) and even proclaimed her for a
‘decadent’ poet (Modic in Škerl 1998). Later they also objected to the in-
appropriate content and too-narrow themes, saying it represents the po-
etics of ‘I wait-I cry’7, ‘tearful sentiment’, ‘emotionally grey monotony’,
‘degenerated self-love’ (Hofman in Bajt 2004, 72). They wrote that Škerl
“enclosed herself in a narrow circle of her own agony” and that her poetry
is a “distasteful psychopathologic abuse” (Štolfa in Škerl 1998).
This negative and ‘official’ criticism reflected political and ideolog-
ic tensions but also, even if less explicitly, sexism. The silent eroticism of
Senca v srcu—always connected with the expectation or experience of
death and written by a woman from a female perspective—did not com-
ply with the official ‘healthy’ and reproductive sexuality propagated by
the governing structures and gender politics. As demonstrated above, im-
mediately after the war, the woman (who was during the war an equal
comrade and soldier) again became associated with the reproductive role,
producing an image of a sacrificing mother who will raise socialist chil-
dren for a new socialist society. In the last section of the collection, how-
ever, the lyric narrator expresses her love for the dead man with whom she
was not even in a relationship and hence outlines a possibility that her re-
productive role through a healthy and fulfilled love will never be realised.
Like love, so is death represented as ‘non-reproductive’ because it is not a
heroic death of a fallen soldier or a hostage but is completely independ-
ent of dying for higher ideals (see also Kovič 1992, 90 and Novak Popov
2003, 225).The symbol of a disease, which was the reason for death, rather
points towards a decadent feeling of physical and spiritual finality which
can be surpassed only by an intimate memory and not in the context of a
7 An allusion to Gradnik’s poem De profundis.
from the publication, the publishing house even added a short note to the
colophon: “on the suggestion of the Youth Association of Cultural Work-
ers (Zveza mladih kulturnih delavcev), published by Mladinska knjiga”.
Even before the publication of the collection, reviewers already
formed their opinion on Škerl’s work based on her publications in liter-
ary journals. Škerl’s poetry was mentioned already during the meeting
of young writers and literates organised by Mladinska revija. In his pres-
entation, Miško Kranjec mentioned the narrow erotic theme of her po-
etry (Mladinska 1948/49, 58), an objection which was further and even
more violently repeated by other participants (see also Kovič 1992, 89).
While reviewers admitted that Škerl was a talented poet, wrote a well-
formed poetry, was courageous in her personal writing, and had a sin-
cere and clear style (Škerl in Pibernik 90), they objected to her formalism,
140 manners, and poetic construction (ibid.) and even proclaimed her for a
‘decadent’ poet (Modic in Škerl 1998). Later they also objected to the in-
appropriate content and too-narrow themes, saying it represents the po-
etics of ‘I wait-I cry’7, ‘tearful sentiment’, ‘emotionally grey monotony’,
‘degenerated self-love’ (Hofman in Bajt 2004, 72). They wrote that Škerl
“enclosed herself in a narrow circle of her own agony” and that her poetry
is a “distasteful psychopathologic abuse” (Štolfa in Škerl 1998).
This negative and ‘official’ criticism reflected political and ideolog-
ic tensions but also, even if less explicitly, sexism. The silent eroticism of
Senca v srcu—always connected with the expectation or experience of
death and written by a woman from a female perspective—did not com-
ply with the official ‘healthy’ and reproductive sexuality propagated by
the governing structures and gender politics. As demonstrated above, im-
mediately after the war, the woman (who was during the war an equal
comrade and soldier) again became associated with the reproductive role,
producing an image of a sacrificing mother who will raise socialist chil-
dren for a new socialist society. In the last section of the collection, how-
ever, the lyric narrator expresses her love for the dead man with whom she
was not even in a relationship and hence outlines a possibility that her re-
productive role through a healthy and fulfilled love will never be realised.
Like love, so is death represented as ‘non-reproductive’ because it is not a
heroic death of a fallen soldier or a hostage but is completely independ-
ent of dying for higher ideals (see also Kovič 1992, 90 and Novak Popov
2003, 225).The symbol of a disease, which was the reason for death, rather
points towards a decadent feeling of physical and spiritual finality which
can be surpassed only by an intimate memory and not in the context of a
7 An allusion to Gradnik’s poem De profundis.
