Topography of Initiation in the Works of Daniela Hodrová: “Ordeal by Labyrinth”

Abstract

The labyrinth, known to mankind since ancient times, is of interest to researchers in various fields of humanitarian knowledge. The article examines the specifics of the functioning of the labyrinth concept as a space of initiation in a work of art. The first part of the work presents the genesis of the labyrinth symbol in general and, in particular, as a place of initiation. Particular attention is paid to the theoretical works of the Czech writer and literary theorist Daniela Hodrová (1946–2024), devoted to the specifics of the novel genre. A special place in the author’s research is occupied by the theme of initiation, the structure of a literary text with the theme of initiation. Hodrová characterizes the initiation process as a labyrinth, where the character’s wandering ends with the achievement of a sacred “place with a secret”. In the second part of the work, this concept is examined from the point of view of its applicability to the writer’s literary texts. In all of Hodrová’s texts, initiation, the acquisition of secret knowledge, takes the form of recollection: of the subjective, personal past, and of the objective – historical events. The article presents the evolution of the initiation process in Hodrová’s works. In her early texts (Trýznivé město, 1990s), the initiation process took place in a physical space, where Prague became a labyrinth for the characters. In the author’s later novels (e.g. Točité věty, 2000s), the text itself becomes the labyrinth in which the adept wanders on the path to acquiring the secret.

Received: 06.02.2025.
Revised: 18.02.2025.
Accepted: 18.03.2025.

Citation
Kozhina S. A. Topography of Initiation in the Works of Daniela Hodrová: “Ordeal by Labyrinth” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 340–355 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.1-2.16