Knjižica o ilirskom pjesništvu izvedena po zakonima estetike

Booklet on Illyrian poetry performed according to the laws of aesthetics (De poesi Illyrica ad leges aestheticae exactis libellus, 1788) by the famous Slavonian Franciscan, polyhistorian and translator Matija Petar Katančić represents the fundamental work of Croatian poetics and literary theory of the 18th century. Created in the spirit of the Enlightenment and classicism, this Latin writing brings the first systematic application of ancient normative aesthetic principles to poetry written in the Croatian (Illyrian) language.

Katančić approaches literary creativity in an extremely erudite way: he analyzes metrics, rhythm and stylistic figures, trying to prove that the Illyrian language is completely equal to classical Latin and ancient Greek in terms of its flexibility, richness and melodiousness. The work is divided into theoretical elaborations of aesthetic rules and analytical examples, where the author pays special attention to folk songs and the tradition of Dubrovnik and Dalmatian Renaissance and Baroque literature.

By emphasizing the common language and cultural heritage, Katančić lays the early theoretical and conceptual foundations for the later Croatian national revival with this booklet, which is why this work occupies a key place in the history of Croatian aesthetics and philology.