TIME IN THE NOVELS OF MILOS CRNJANSKI - Nottingham eTheses

CHAPTER THREE
tokovi zbivanja i se6anja, raz1i~iti
nivoi asocijativno~ itd (5).
The structure of Dnevnik is built on
principles completely different from the
principles on which the structure of the
classical novel is built - there is no
chrono1o~ical exposition of events with a
clearly drawn plot which has its unitary
flow, rather a poetic narration is
created in which are interwoven different
tempora1 planes. different currents of
action and memory. different levels of
association etc.
Critical opinion on Crnjanski's first novel has remained
consistent in its emphasis on the author's use of
lan~ua~e.
and narrative structure.
The diary is written by a soldier who returns home
from the First World War.
He has dim memories of his
father. who died while he was still a child. and more
recent memories of his mother and wider family circle.
He outlines certain events which punctuate his ~rowin~
uP. such as his first love affair. and his days as a
student in Vienna. which are interrupted by the outbreak
of war when he is conscrip.ted into the armies of the
Habsbur~ Empire. Durin~ the" hostilities he contracts
tuberculosis and is sent to a hospital away from the
front line.
His illness throws him into alternatin~
bouts of feverish an~uish
and relatively calm moments
when he feels mentally composed.
While in hospital he
has an affair with one of the Polish nurses. which
finishes on his dischar~e.
When able to travel. he is
sent home. where he finds his mother dyine.
She dies
shortly after his arrival. whereupon people around him
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