Cyprian Norwid and August Cieszkowski’s Historiosophical Project

Abstract

The article focuses on the correspondences between Cyprian Norwid’s ideas as refl ected in his writing and August Cieszkowski’s philosophical world-view. Norwid’s numerous works, written between 1848 and 1883, including Psalms-Psalm, Zwolon, Promethidion, Civilisation, Assunta, Stigma and Silence, can be seen as attempts at reinterpreting Cieszkowski’s historiosophy. In particular, Norwid seeks to provide an adequate account of Cieszkowski’s theories of philosophical millenarism and historiosophical holism. Ultimately, in Silence, Norwid develops his own revised historiosophy (which connects him to Tadeusz Miciński and Stanisław Zdziechowski, twentieth-century representatives of moral and metaphysical historiosophy). Stigma, written around 1881, can be read as the poet’s parabolic defence of nineteenth-century philosophy, despite its anachronic aspects.