HAJDUK MOTIFS IN THE NOVEL ‘EAGLES FLY EARLY’ BY BRANKO ĆOPIĆ

Abstract

This paper analyses the hajduk motifs in the novel Eagles Fly Early (Orlovi rano lete) by Branko Ćopić. The goal of the paper is to highlight Ćopic’s creative appropriation and reinterpretation of hajduk motifs from epic literature, as well as the role of these motifs in the structure and composition of Ćopic’s novel. We focus

on the analysis of hajduk motifs as a dynamic category with the hypothesis that these motifs significantly influenced the novel’s structure, characterisation, and the artistic formulation of its moral lesson. For methodological and interpretative purposes, we isolate five basic aspects of hajduk motifs in both hajduk epic poetry and the novel Eagles Fly Early, and then describe them comparatively. These are: main function, relationship to tradition, characterisation of figures, goal of the struggle, and main messages/idea. The results show that Branko Ćopić in the novel Eagles Fly Early reinterprets the hajduk motifs from Serbian oral literature, adapting them to a new time and genre (a novel for children and youth) and a specific narrative style. In the novel Eagles Fly Early, the hajduk motifs are more than a literary embellishment; they are a structural element and an ideological bridge that connects the glorious epic heritage with new historical and moral challenges.