| Abstrakt: | The dissertation's main goal was to find an answer, through the text analysis of the
Dante Alighieri literary works, to the following question: What symbolic language was used
in Dante Alighieri's literary works?
This dissertation was placed in the subfield of sociology of knowledge that was
developed by Alfred Schütz, who partly applied the Husserlian theory of phenomenology to
his own scientific goals. Nowadys, the sociologists P. L.Berger and Thomas Luckmann are
considered to be widely recognized as the repesentants of the sociology of knowledge.
To achieve this goal, there were additional questions to be addressed. They are as
follows:
1. What are the dominat social worlds presented in the literary works of Dante Alighieri?
2. How is the process of legitimation being conducted in the social worlds created by
Alighieri's characters?
3. What are the origins of the symbolic universes?
The dissertation consists of eight chapters. The first chapter refers to what can best be
described as achievements of sociological phenomenology in outlining the reality of the
multitude of social worlds which is a common experience of the most individuals.
In this chapter the phenomenon of intersubjectivity (based upon the work of Alfred
Schütz's theory) is being explanined as the way through subjective intentions and subjective
meanings are transmitted. It analyzes the process of an individual becoming part of the
meaningful reality that might be shared with other individuals. It also explains how the individuals communicate with their fellow-men within the reality of the everyday life
(Lebenswelt). It clarifies how the fenomenon of subjectivity is being transformed into the
space of intersubjectivity. This chapter emphasizes also the role of typification of social
interaction and refers to the social knowledge as the diversified system.
The second chapter of the dissertation reflects upon the problem of legitimation. It
provides the frameworks for the different types of legitimation as the elements of the
sociological theory. It underlines the impact of the religious legitimation as the main factor of
the legitimation process in the construcion of the social world. It also describes the
legitimation crisis that is taking place in the modern societies.
The third chapter approaches the problem of symbolism and the diversity of
interpretation methods. It also refers to the the human production of signs, which do not
represent only the verbal and vocal expressions. They manifest themselves in the form of
symbols that can be interpreted in different ways. This part of the dissertation explains also
the role of symbols in the medieval times of Dante Alighieri.
Then, the fourth chapter desciribes the theoretical perspective used in the dissertation
to accomplish the purpose of the presented topic. This chapter contains the reasearch question
(the main question and the additional ones). It refers to the the phenomenological sociology,
especially in terms of its application to a literary work.
Then, in the fifh chapter I try to portray the life an work of Dante Alighieri as well as
the times and circumstances of his lifetime he referred to. All the historical, political and
social aspects of the biographical background of the author of the Divine Comedy were taken
into account.
The sixth chapter deals with the problem of the dominant social worlds in Dante's
work and the question of how and where – if at all possible – the boundaries between them
might be set. It also refers to some of the social worlds that were categorized, namely: the
world of the everyday life, the world of science, the world of dreams and visions (as
components of the life-world).
The seventh chapter presents the legitimation process as an act that occurs on several
levels of the social reality. It provides the reader – through the text analysis – with the
empirical examples of the legitimation practices in Dante Alighieri's works. The criteria for
the division provided in this chapter was based upon the categories introduced by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann in their book The Social Construction of Reality. A Treatise in
the Sociology of Knowledge.
In the last, eighth chapter the Dante's symbols were analysed on the basis of the
Schütz's theory of analogical apperception. It means the symbols are analysed as objects
present in the life-world which can transcendent into another dimension.
The conclusion is that the symbols in Dante's literary works can be analysed within the
framework of Schütz's theory and that they are located in different social worlds and subworlds
of the literary works. The aim of the dissertation was to find the the social context of
their expression and existence. |