The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea
The article presents a reading of Ruta Sepetys’ novel Salt to the Sea in the context of the philosophical proposal of Hans Blumenberg, who tried to capture the dynamics of European cultural and intellectual history through the metaphor of shipwreck. This pessimistic theory of modernity as a cycle o...
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| Format: | Article |
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Vilnius University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Literatūra (Vilnius) |
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| Online Access: | https://www.journals.vu.lt/literatura/article/view/38374 |
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| author | Ewa Lukaszyk |
| author_facet | Ewa Lukaszyk |
| author_sort | Ewa Lukaszyk |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The article presents a reading of Ruta Sepetys’ novel Salt to the Sea in the context of the philosophical proposal of Hans Blumenberg, who tried to capture the dynamics of European cultural and intellectual history through the metaphor of shipwreck. This pessimistic theory of modernity as a cycle of catastrophes is counterbalanced by the new vision of transcultural becoming and the theory of dissolution of cultures proposed by Wolfgang Welsch. The analysis of Sepetys’ literary vision of the end of the Second World War accentuates the element of deconstruction of monolithic identities and their manipulative potential. Instead, individual decisions and responsibility come to the fore. The metaphor of the Saint John’s Night traditional wreath, expressing the idea of the intermingling of minor identifications and the plurality of origins, is suggested as a substitute for the ominous metaphor of shipwreck proposed by Blumenberg as a key for the understanding of a new epoch of European history.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-de8a4f079ede4c82a3fcfc31d97bdaa0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0258-0802 1648-1143 |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Vilnius University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Literatūra (Vilnius) |
| spelling | doaj-art-de8a4f079ede4c82a3fcfc31d97bdaa02025-01-20T18:21:17ZdeuVilnius University PressLiteratūra (Vilnius)0258-08021648-11432025-01-0166410.15388/Litera.2024.66.4.3The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the SeaEwa Lukaszyk0Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portugal The article presents a reading of Ruta Sepetys’ novel Salt to the Sea in the context of the philosophical proposal of Hans Blumenberg, who tried to capture the dynamics of European cultural and intellectual history through the metaphor of shipwreck. This pessimistic theory of modernity as a cycle of catastrophes is counterbalanced by the new vision of transcultural becoming and the theory of dissolution of cultures proposed by Wolfgang Welsch. The analysis of Sepetys’ literary vision of the end of the Second World War accentuates the element of deconstruction of monolithic identities and their manipulative potential. Instead, individual decisions and responsibility come to the fore. The metaphor of the Saint John’s Night traditional wreath, expressing the idea of the intermingling of minor identifications and the plurality of origins, is suggested as a substitute for the ominous metaphor of shipwreck proposed by Blumenberg as a key for the understanding of a new epoch of European history. https://www.journals.vu.lt/literatura/article/view/38374Ruta Sepetystranscultural literatureidentitydisplacementshipwreck |
| spellingShingle | Ewa Lukaszyk The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea Literatūra (Vilnius) Ruta Sepetys transcultural literature identity displacement shipwreck |
| title | The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea |
| title_full | The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea |
| title_fullStr | The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea |
| title_short | The Shipwreck and the Wreath. Dissolution of Identities in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea |
| title_sort | shipwreck and the wreath dissolution of identities in ruta sepetys salt to the sea |
| topic | Ruta Sepetys transcultural literature identity displacement shipwreck |
| url | https://www.journals.vu.lt/literatura/article/view/38374 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ewalukaszyk theshipwreckandthewreathdissolutionofidentitiesinrutasepetyssalttothesea AT ewalukaszyk shipwreckandthewreathdissolutionofidentitiesinrutasepetyssalttothesea |