The Metamorphosis Myth as an Aggregate of the Land Myth in Martin Camaj's Volume Legjenda [The Legend]

Abstract

The relationship between the Albanian written works and the folkloric literature and oral tradition is a well-known phenomenon.
The latter are essential elements of Martin Camaj's cultural formation. In his book Legjenda [The Legend] this relationship has a
decisive impact on the emotional atmosphere of his poetry. His poems take on features of the romance and the characteristics of the oral
ballad; "the mythological element based on popular mythology; hyperbolism, while, in the emotional sphere, pain, grief, loneliness,
murder and death, metamorphism in dead-end situations are often dominant themes" (Prendi, 2011p155). Through analyzing the poems
Qokthi [The Cuckoo], Vajtorja [The Lamenting Woman], Lugu i Gjarpnit [The Serpent's Glen] dhe Ledja, which are part of his volume
Legjenda [The Legend] (Rome 1964), the researcher aims to research Martin Camaj's viewpoint on the metamorphosis phenomenon,
which appears as a productive tool that has been widely used to express the affirmation of the human internal energy regardless of
physical (outer) appearance, the intense love for one's family members—a sister's love for her brother in the present case—as well as
the personal connection to one's land and national tradition.Through analysis and interpretation of the above themes in Martin Camaj's
poetry, this study aims to assess the poet's influence in the advancement and absorption of the Albanian national tradition, to evaluate
such influence as the poet's effort to further promote it and, finally, to contribute to the exploration of the poetic devices (the symbolism)
and the figurative language (the metaphor) found in his poetry. In addition, the paper strives to identify the main aspects that cause
research in Albanian literature to move forward and be included in the general contexts of theoretical research, including the dynamic
spheres of history of literature and literary theory, literary criticism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and above all research studies in the
Albanian literature.