Aforističnost Malog bukvara za veliku decu, Mihaila Maksimovića

Abstract

The Little Spelling Book for Great Children (1792) is designated as the first book of aphorisms in Serbian culture. In this paper we are dealing with the aphoristic poetics of Mihailo Maksimović. In addition to the general features of the aphoristic genre, the paper explores the connection between the Enlightenment and a given mode of artistic expression, as well as the peculiarities of Maksimović's discourse, the ways in which his aphorisms are created and functioned. At the heart of Maksimović's aphoristic procedure are a comparison and metaphor, hyperbole, ellipse, ambiguity, kalambur, irony and paradox. The last part of the paper deals with the shortcomings of Maksimovic's aphoristics, which are reflected in explicitness, author's comments, etc