Drama unei familii țărănești din Ardeal

The tragedy of a Transylvanian traditional family

Abstract

As the traditional village had gradually faded with time, writing a novel encompassing this subject has become a predicament, yet Lucian Domșa undertook writing about the Transylvanian rural context, revealing his most authentic sense of artistry. Măriuca is a novel portraying the tragic existence of a countryman returning home after World War I. The realities of the traditional village are depicted in the background, for it is the character development, the representation of the profound history of a family, the history of an existence lived according to the old ways of the countryside, all explored under the veil of most authentic vernacular language, that notably constitute the centre of the novel. The typical tragedy of a family from a village in Transylvania is gradually built in the novel, in sync with the space it inhabits, and with the action, also capturing several monographical elements of the Transylvanian village. Although the novel is entitled Măriuca, the main character is Manole a lui Țapu’, however, in virtue of the way the female heroine is composed, through her desire for emancipation, Măriuca becomes the main important character who announces a change of mentality and attitude in the interwar period in the rural environment.