POLITICAL FORNICATION AND THE NATIONAL IDEAL: THE IMAGE OF THE UNION
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Date
2025
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Plovdiv University Press
Abstract
The article analyzes Chardafon the Great. A Biographical Sketch in Profile, examining the ideological image of the homeland and different perceptions of the Unification. The emphasis is on the opposition between Zahari Stoyanov and Ivan Vazov which affected their different perceptions of the act of Unification. While for Vazov the heroes of this period are compromised, for Stoyanov they embody a new form of dignity. This difference in points of view is of crucial significance to understanding different ideological models in Bulgarian literature. The article also emphasizes the way in which patriarchal morality and traditional values are reinterpreted in the text. The main focus is the reversal of the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son – instead of condemnation, political “fornication“ is shown as adaptability. Chardafon the Great offers an alternative historical perspective, in which traditional notions of power, homeland and political loyalty are questioned. Zahari Stoyanov does not simply tell the biography of a hero, but creates a new model of national identity, in which imperfection and humor play a central role. The text affirms the Unification as an act of national self-affirmation, in which the people take their destiny into their own hands, despite the lack of “blessing“ from the Great Powers.
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Keywords
Union, division, political hypocrisy, authorities, fornication