Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai

In 2017, the world celebrated 100 years since the birth of Algirdas Julien Greimas (1917–1992). The anniversary inspired many commemorative works, events, conferences, research projects, etc. That is also the case with this paper. Here, instruments of semiotic analysis are applied to a rather unusua...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Giedrė Smolskaitė
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Vilnius University Press 2019-12-01
Series:Semiotika (Vilniaus universitetas)
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.journals.vu.lt/Semiotika/article/view/16674
_version_ 1818792031031394304
author Giedrė Smolskaitė
author_facet Giedrė Smolskaitė
author_sort Giedrė Smolskaitė
collection DOAJ
description In 2017, the world celebrated 100 years since the birth of Algirdas Julien Greimas (1917–1992). The anniversary inspired many commemorative works, events, conferences, research projects, etc. That is also the case with this paper. Here, instruments of semiotic analysis are applied to a rather unusual object – a bridge located in the town of Prienai, Lithuania. In 2010, the bridge was given the name of Greimai by the Government of Lithuania as a way of paying tribute to Julius Greimas (1882–1942), schoolteacher and burgomaster of Prienai (1934–40), and his son Algirdas Julien Greimas, literary scientist and semiotician who as a child liked to wander the woods of Prienai. The paper discusses the semantics and narrativity of the Greimai bridge. The main focus is on its function, the characteristics of the bridge and its shores, the semantic universe it embodies. Also considered is the transformation from a simple and concrete structure with a clearly defined function to a symbolic monument. The findings of this small research suggest that the bridge’s characteristics make the Greimai name a good fit and that it creates additional meanings: one recognizes plurality and duality, the echo of the father-son relationship, cyclicality and rituality, etc. In addition, the bridge appears to act as a mediator between nature and culture, life and death.
first_indexed 2024-12-18T15:20:46Z
format Article
id doaj.art-9af805da4333404c8737d3c8423f727b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1392-0219
2424-547X
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-18T15:20:46Z
publishDate 2019-12-01
publisher Vilnius University Press
record_format Article
series Semiotika (Vilniaus universitetas)
spelling doaj.art-9af805da4333404c8737d3c8423f727b2022-12-21T21:03:24ZengVilnius University PressSemiotika (Vilniaus universitetas)1392-02192424-547X2019-12-011410.15388/Semiotika.2019.16674Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in PrienaiGiedrė Smolskaitė0Vilnius University, LithuaniaIn 2017, the world celebrated 100 years since the birth of Algirdas Julien Greimas (1917–1992). The anniversary inspired many commemorative works, events, conferences, research projects, etc. That is also the case with this paper. Here, instruments of semiotic analysis are applied to a rather unusual object – a bridge located in the town of Prienai, Lithuania. In 2010, the bridge was given the name of Greimai by the Government of Lithuania as a way of paying tribute to Julius Greimas (1882–1942), schoolteacher and burgomaster of Prienai (1934–40), and his son Algirdas Julien Greimas, literary scientist and semiotician who as a child liked to wander the woods of Prienai. The paper discusses the semantics and narrativity of the Greimai bridge. The main focus is on its function, the characteristics of the bridge and its shores, the semantic universe it embodies. Also considered is the transformation from a simple and concrete structure with a clearly defined function to a symbolic monument. The findings of this small research suggest that the bridge’s characteristics make the Greimai name a good fit and that it creates additional meanings: one recognizes plurality and duality, the echo of the father-son relationship, cyclicality and rituality, etc. In addition, the bridge appears to act as a mediator between nature and culture, life and death.https://www.journals.vu.lt/Semiotika/article/view/16674Greimai bridgesemiotic analysisGreimaiPrienai
spellingShingle Giedrė Smolskaitė
Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
Semiotika (Vilniaus universitetas)
Greimai bridge
semiotic analysis
Greimai
Prienai
title Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
title_full Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
title_fullStr Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
title_full_unstemmed Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
title_short Semiotical Narrative of the Greimai Bridge in Prienai
title_sort semiotical narrative of the greimai bridge in prienai
topic Greimai bridge
semiotic analysis
Greimai
Prienai
url https://www.journals.vu.lt/Semiotika/article/view/16674
work_keys_str_mv AT giedresmolskaite semioticalnarrativeofthegreimaibridgeinprienai