Jan Stanislav Institute of Slavistics SAS
Topic
The Catholic Calendar of Saint Adalbert in Historical Development
PhD. program
Year of admission
2026
Name of the supervisor
prof. Peter Olekšák, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre
Annotation
The dissertation focuses on a periodical whose editions have been published across several centuries to the present day. The subject of the research is to identify the significance of the entire set of editions in different historical periods and the reflection of axiological principles in the spectrum of genres that the calendar contained. The author of the dissertation focuses on the social circumstances in which this periodical was published and the functions it fulfilled. These can be identified both from the content of individual volumes and from the formal structure, which includes the format, cover and its semiotics, the visual representation of specific columns, font type, and the use of various types of signs and symbols. In this context, it is assumed that authentic photographs of historical volumes or significant editions reflecting events from social and religious life will be provided. The periodicity of the editions, as well as their distribution and sales statistics, are of great importance.
For the contemporary reader, it is interesting to know the presented paremies and idioms – specifically their value orientation, which the St. Adalbert Calendar presented for decades as a traditional column. From the history of the periodical, a specific genre is known, which we know as the Christian fairy tale. It was reading intended for a child's percipient, which differed from the traditional ethnic fairy tale by an explicitly formulated didactic conclusion, but also by the protagonists who appear in it.
The author of the dissertation will analyze historical editions of the St. Adalbert Catholic Calendar on the basis of preserved copies in archives, libraries or private collections. It is relevant to compare historical editions with other periodicals aimed at a similarly value-oriented reader. The factor of religious confessions may also play a role in the comparison with other periodicals.
The developmental factor of the examined calendar should be directed to the present and analyze other years of the edition from the aspect of the current addressee.
The work is methodologically based on text theory and text linguistics. The methods of empirical research are critical discourse analysis, stylistic analysis of the text of selected genres, statistical methods in evaluating circulation and their marketability in different periods and the method of content analysis from the aspect of text pragmatics in terms of attractiveness for the current reader. Readership interest and knowledge of the selected periodical can be examined using the method of a sociologically oriented questionnaire.
The contribution of the work lies in the knowledge and possible popularization of the periodical, which played a significant role in the history of the Slovak nation and, from the aspect of forming the value hierarchy, also addresses current generations.
For the contemporary reader, it is interesting to know the presented paremies and idioms – specifically their value orientation, which the St. Adalbert Calendar presented for decades as a traditional column. From the history of the periodical, a specific genre is known, which we know as the Christian fairy tale. It was reading intended for a child's percipient, which differed from the traditional ethnic fairy tale by an explicitly formulated didactic conclusion, but also by the protagonists who appear in it.
The author of the dissertation will analyze historical editions of the St. Adalbert Catholic Calendar on the basis of preserved copies in archives, libraries or private collections. It is relevant to compare historical editions with other periodicals aimed at a similarly value-oriented reader. The factor of religious confessions may also play a role in the comparison with other periodicals.
The developmental factor of the examined calendar should be directed to the present and analyze other years of the edition from the aspect of the current addressee.
The work is methodologically based on text theory and text linguistics. The methods of empirical research are critical discourse analysis, stylistic analysis of the text of selected genres, statistical methods in evaluating circulation and their marketability in different periods and the method of content analysis from the aspect of text pragmatics in terms of attractiveness for the current reader. Readership interest and knowledge of the selected periodical can be examined using the method of a sociologically oriented questionnaire.
The contribution of the work lies in the knowledge and possible popularization of the periodical, which played a significant role in the history of the Slovak nation and, from the aspect of forming the value hierarchy, also addresses current generations.