Land, Self and Nation in Rebreanu's Ion: Commodification and the Dismantling of Meaning

Author: Lewis, Virginia L.

Source: The Slavonic and East European Review, Volume 87, Number 2, 1 April 2009 , pp. 259-283(25)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract:

This article explores Rebreanu's peasant figure Ion in light of the modern evolution of land to the status of a commodity and the relationship of commodified land to the nation as territory. In Ion Rebreanu shows how commodification has deprived land of its traditional capacity to sustain meaning in human lives. Lives without meaning yield destruction and death in this Romanian narrative. Land that has thus been instrumentalized as a means of simple monetary enrichment represents a highly questionable foundation for a nation intended to foster human agency and support a good life among its citizens.

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota

Publication date: 2009-04-01

More about this publication?

The Review is the oldest British journal in the field, having been in existence since 1922. Edited and managed by the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, it covers not only the modern and medieval languages and literatures of the Slavonic and East European area, but also history, culture, and political studies.