Border issues in the border area of literature

The appearance of the Trianon theme in Hungarian mass literature between the two world wars

Abstract

In the study of literary works depicting the everyday life of the inhabitants of the territories that came under new rule following the peace treaties around Paris at the end of the First World War, the aspect of the specific life strategies, conflicts and solutions that fiction represents through narrative means can play an important role. Popular literature is seldom the focus of mainstream literary studies, its low aesthetic quality tends to marginalise it, and its mass-produced works are quickly forgotten. At the same time due to their actuality and easy appeal to the public, they can reach large audiences thus their choice of topic and narrative approach not only reflects public taste and interest but can also often contribute to its shaping, too. In my research, I examine how the events following the 1920s change are reflected in the interwar popular literature, which, in its turn might have contributed to the shaping of the public discourse on the subject.