Anecdotes in Bajza’s book of humour

The collection Veselé učinki a rečeni (Cheerful teachings and sayings) is the first humorous print medium in the history of Slovak literature. However, the significance of its editor J.I.Bajza´s contribution requires objective assessment. Besides the question of its originality and inspirations there should also be raised a question of the genre and the reflected reality the collection presents. The contents analysis allows stating that the genres of the collection include riddle, humourous short story and anecdote, which outnumbers the others. The anecdotes are not only meant to entertain but also to educate. They reflect the experiences of people´s coexistence in the ethnically and confesionally diverse Central-European region. There are also depicted episodes from everyday life (about social classes, professions and wives as well as various historical and contemporary figures). The editor´s intention was to cultivate the relationships between contemporaries and influence their conventional opinions and attitudes