Narrative Peculiarities of Simonas Daukantas’ Works "Istorija žemaitiška" and "Būdas senovės lietuvių, kalnėnų ir žemaičių"

In this paper Simonas Daukantas works’ Istorija žemaitiška ir Būdas senovės lietuvių, kalnėnų ir žemaičių are analysed in terms of narration discourse and the functions of the narrator. The conception of narration, main theoretical attitudes, narration elements of the structure as well as the expression of the functions of the narrator are presented in the paper. The object of the present paper is the narration peculiarities of S. Daukantas works’ Istorijos žemaitiškos bei Būdo senovės lietuvių, kalnėnų ir žemaičių. XIX century’s romantic historiography was apprehended as a form of art, which was based on traditional narration methods and means as well as sensitive imagination. The historical narration i.e. the epic creation mean is dominant narration in Simonas Daukantas works’ Istorija žemaitiška ir Būdas senovės lietuvių, kalnėnų ir žemaičių. Its essence is to narrate the event in chronological order. Though the historian often drifts into belles-lettres style. All in all, as a writer S. Daukantas is too much of a historian and as a historian he is too much of a writer. In belles-lettres style as well as in historical narration the main narrator is the narrator himself. In Daukantas historical works the narrator tells what he saw and experienced or he interprets in his own way some historical sourses he had explored. He comments on and evaluates the pictured reality in terms of his personal experience and his world-view. That is way the subjective point of view is inevitable. The narrator is the central element and his possition is very important. It is the only factor leading the adressee to the understandig and evaluation of the created reality