Slovenské zemianstvo v Reštavrácii. Historické udalosti v pozadí románu Jána Kalinčiaka

Abstract

The article analyses the novel Reštavrácia ([County elections], 1860) by Ján Kalinčiak (1822 – 1871) through the prism of historical documents. The novel takes as its basis the historical events of 1845 – 1846 election campaigns in the Turiec County. The article identifies the historical figures on which the novel’s characters were built. Such reading of this literary work is not methodologically inappropriate – the elections had a significant bearing on the future events connected with historical events central to the building of the Slovak nation and identity. The analysis provided in the article helps understand the historical circumstances and the context of Slovak national revival of the 1860s and 1870s. This referential reading also helps clarify and revaluate Ján Kalinčiak’s position on the matter. At the same time, it provides one of the backgrounds for the literary reading of the novel.