Historical and poetic implications of spiritist discourse and disintegration of realism in 19th century Serbian literature

Abstract

This paper examines the historical and poetic implications of spiritist discourse in Serbian literature of the second half of the 19th century, focusing particularly on its role in the disintegration of realist poetics. Through the analysis of that literature of this period functions not merely as a reflection of social tendencies but as a space where philosophical, scientific, and spiritual questions intersect. Employing hermeneutic methodology, the paper approaches spiritism in a broader context ‒ both cultural and historical. Within this context, literature opens towards explorations of psychological, parapsychological, and ontological dimensions. Special emphasis is placed on the shifting boundaries of the knowable and the empirically grounded. Narrative space expands from rural to urban settings and into cosmic realms. The analysis identifies two dominant discursive lines. The first is socially engaged and progressive, expressed through evolutionary thought, interest in civil rights and reform, often grounded in anti-clerical perspectives. The second is concerned with the dialectic of material and immaterial reality, the limits of human cognition, and the epistemological crisis rooted in scepticism towards positivist and rationalist models of knowledge. Translations and the emergence of spiritualist journals point to a sophisticated intellectual climate that embraced the integration of scientific and esoteric knowledge systems. The study concludes that spiritism operates not merely as a theme or motif but as a transformative mechanism that reshapes literary expression and poetical orientation. Spiritist discourse, therefore, proves essential to the poetic evolution of 19th century Serbian literature.