Boris Angelov
Lyuben Karavelov and his interpretation of ‘Civilization Misunderstood’
Summary
The focal point of the text is a Karavelov’s appraisal “against the hair” of Voinikov’s comedy “The Erroneously Appreciated Civilization” in 1871. The criticism is on the very concept of “civilisation”. Karavelov advocates the advantage of imitation in life by a nation in the Restoration. Quotations from other literary works reveal the nature of imitation – varying from the admiration of fashion to a complete denunciation of all not originating from the mother state but the imitating neighbouring Balkan countries and thus transforming the national culture into a replication of an imitation. The denial of the civilisation presumes the attitude towards the countrywide status of yoke in the context of the ambivalent language of bestial, feminine and nourishing. Conclusively, the common for the Restoration argument about the approach to theatre is recapped – the Universal (commercial) takes a decisive part in the prospect of the unique (national).
