Transculturality in “Das Märchenbuch der heiligen Nächte der Javanerland” (1915) by Max Dauthendey

Borrowing various aspects of literature and culture outside Europe is one othe the many research in travel literature. Max Dauthendey (MD) is a writer and painter who traveled around the world and the second trip took him to Java. In his book, MD respond’s to the encounter with “the other” is a keen observation of the folk tales, and he transferred these into his fairy tales with his own imagination. Through close reading of three MD tales, MD’s point of view to the foreign culture will be revealde. This paper will shows that what MD wrote and displayed in the three fairy tales is the exotic Java and it is a conspicous attempt to appreciate the javanese folklore and nature. Java as an exotic place is integrated in the works and instead of adapting the stories which will be resulting in changing the media, MD took only some elements. Different approach to the loan is shown in this paper by applying transculturality as a method to read literary works that collaborating two cultures. Transculturality in MD’s fairy tales is a process of reconfiguration of the elemnts from Java into his work and MD has shown a positive way of borrowing.