Aspecte întunecate ale operei lui Sihleanu. Incestul, crima și sinuciderea în poemul Strigoi

Abstract

Alexandru Sihleanu (1834-1857) belongs to the post-1848 generation.His work is strongly influenced by the works of Byon The poem Strigoiul (The Undead) exemplifies an application of Gothic ingredients into Romanian literature- sin,
psychological tension, premature burial, curse and postmortem existence. The poem Strigoiul is included in the volume Armonii intime (Intimate Harmonies)(1857) - the only volume published by the poet in his short life and presents the profound suffering of a knight who, not knowing his mother, loves her passionately and kills
her, believing that she has betrayed him. Discovering the truth, his inner torment leads him to bury himself alive in a tomb. Premature burial is one of the common places of Gothic literature, a motif often exploited by the Romantic writer Edgar Allan Poe in works such as Berenice 1835, The Fall of the House of Usher, 1839, The Cask of Amontillado, 1846, etc. The protagonist cannot find peace in the aftermath of his suicidal act, so he leaves his grave every night to mourn his fate. His postmortem existence is a doomed one; he is not a Gothic antagonist like Dracula, but a tragic figure destined to endure eternal torment from guilt.