Λουκή Ακρίτα Ο Κάμπος: Ένα νατουραλιστικό μυθιστόρημα με αλληγορική λειτουργία

Abstract

Please note: this article is in Greek. Loukis Akritas’ The Plain: A naturalistic novel and it’s allegorical function: This paper having as a point of reference Fredric Jameson’s thesis that all literary texts should be read and interpreted as political texts, as well as national allegories, examines whether this could be applied to the novel The Plain (1936), [Ο Κάμπος] written by the Cypriot writer Loukis Akritas. This is an important novel as it was written in the inter-World War period when Cyprus was a British colony. The upheaval and unrest on the island at the time prompted the enforcement of a dictatorship (including a censorship) by the British. The analysis of the novel reveals that the writer’s use of naturalism indeed functions as an allegory to depict the harsh conditions suffered by the agrarian sector of Cyprus at the time. The ruthless masters of the “Plain” could be paralleled to the colonial rulers. Furthermore the problems of this sector of the society could to a great extent be attributed to their rule. The allegory also helps the writer to overcome the problem of censorship. The political interpretation of this particular novel therefore affirms Jameson’s thesis.