Between Literature and History – Performative Materiality Depicted in the Discourse of Violence: the Representation of Islam in Ivo Andrićs Dissertation and The Bridge

Abstract

In this article, the author reflects on some aspects of Andrić’s representation of Islam in his best known novel The Bridge by simultaneously tracing its folkloristic imagery back to its roots i.e. to Andrić's dissertation, written 1924, and first published in 1982. The author frames her argument by beginning with a comparative analysis. She draws a parallel between Andrić’s understanding of history and that of Friedrich Schiller, which he presented in his inaugural lecture in 1789. Considering the common points in understanding history, the main question is posed on a broader basis which deals with the controversies for today of Andrić’s works, which are interpreted as offensive by some of the scholars in the scientific community. In questioning the notion of truth as a desired goal in historical research, the author traverses the thin borderline between modern and post-modern points of view on this topic. Taking into account the antagonism of discourse and truth in a Foucaultian manner, historical factuality and its culturally based interpretations seen through the lens of cultural philosophy, the author discusses why Andrić’s representation of Islam is perceived negatively. By focusing on the bridge symbol that is ironically blown up at the end of the novel (which is also factually true) and a traumatic impalement-scene taking place on the bridge which is embodied within a discourse of violence, the author is aiming for a solution through a reconsidering of narrated representations of truth in fiction and nonfiction.