THE ALTERNATIVE HERO AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN AKA MORCHILADZE’S “A JOURNEY TO KAKHETI IN 1855”

Inga Shamilishvili; Nino Nakashidze

Inga Shamilishvili Doctor of Philology, Professor Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, 35/32 Rustaveli/Ninoshvili St., Batumi, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0009-0004-1784-6026
Nino Nakashidze Doctoral student of the Doctoral Educational Program in Philology, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, 35/32 Rustaveli/Ninoshvili St., Batumi, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0009-0004-2967-6490

Abstract

Postmodern theory increasingly conceptualizes history not as a neutral account of past events, but as a narratively constructed text. Gérard Genette’s theory of transtextuality, particularly the concept of hypertextuality, provides an effective analytical framework for examining the narrative representation of the past. Within this framework, a new text emerges through the transformation of a hypotext and may take the form of transformation or imitation. Such processes generate a new semantic space in which characters, plot elements, and symbols are recontextualized within new and often radically different settings.

This paper examines the transformation of the character of Luarsab Tatkaridze from the hypotext of Ilia Chavchavadze’s “Katsia-Adamiani?!” into the hypertext of Aka Morchiladze’s „A Journey to Kakheti in 1855“, and analyzes how this transformation constructs an alternative model of heroism within the framework of rethinking national identity. A character who initially functioned as an object of national critique is recontextualized as a potential agent of historical agency.

In Chavchavadze’s text, Luarsab symbolizes passivity and social inertia, whereas in Morchiladze’s narrative he emerges as an active agent within the narrative. The historical setting, nineteenth-century Kakheti, along with the social environment and the experience of collective tragedy, places the character in circumstances that enable choice and action, thereby transforming his narrative function.

Morchiladze thus enacts a semantic displacement of Luarsab’s character. While the hypertext maintains its connection to the hypotext, it assigns new significance to the character’s role. This transformation exemplifies the central effect of hypertextual transformation.

Ultimately, Morchiladze’s narrative offers a critical re-evaluation of national identity. The reinterpretation of Luarsab Tatkaridze demonstrates that national symbols are neither fixed nor immutable; rather, they acquire new meanings through textual transformation. In this way, established character models are reshaped, generating an alternative paradigm of heroism within the realm of imaginative history.

Keywords: Hypertext; Hypotext; Aka Morchiladze; Ilia Chavchavadze; Historical Narrative; alternative history.