Publication details
The Marginal Donelaitis : Personality Traits of Kristijonas Donelaitis in the Light of his Auto-commentaries
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Knygotyra |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://zurnalai.vu.lt/knygotyra/lt/article/view/48716/43177 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.15388/Knygotyra.2026.86.9 |
| Keywords | Lithuania; Lithuania Minor; Old Lithuanian Literature; Kristijonas Donelaitis; ego-documents; marginalia; commentaries; personality traits; 18th-century Prussia; Lutheran Pastor; self-reflection |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This study examines Kristijonas Donelaitis’s marginalia and auto-commentaries as a coher-ent egodocumentary narrative, offering insights into his personality and intellectual context beyond his canonical poetry. The research focuses on remarks preserved in official docu-ments, Tollmingkehmen parish baptismal registers, and the text Allerley zuverlässige Na-chrichten für meinen Successor, complemented by notes in the autograph of The Seasons. By using systematic identification, chronological reconstruction, and typological analysis, the study reveals a substantial corpus of more than 200 remarks. Two chronological patterns emerge: contemporaneous comments (1743–1780), and later remarks concentrated in 1773–1774 and 1778–1779, linked to significant biographical events. The remarks expose the emotional intensity of Donelaitis, his oscillation between moral rigor and affect, and strong concern for honor and social status. Far from a secluded pastor, Donelaitis appears as a dy-namic, engaged personality whose marginalia form an essential component of his written legacy. |
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