„Homines sumus casibus subiacentes”. Kilka uwag o Historia Apollonii regis Tyri w odpowiedzi Jakubowi Zbądzkiemu

Abstract

“Homines sumus casibus subiacentes.” Some remarks on Historia Apollonii regis Tyri in reply to Jakub Zbądzki This brief contribution is my response to the polemic concerning an article I wrote over twenty years ago and at the same time an opportunity to take stock of the development of research into Historia Apollonii regis Tyri over the last two decades. Worthy of note is the polarisation of views and lack of unequivocal findings, as a result of which the novel still eludes scholars’ interpretations and my opinions formulated twenty years ago are still valid. It should be stressed that the novel glorifies culture and education, which may have been the element that made it so popular towards the end of Antiquity and in the Middle Ages. Consequently, it is an important testimony to ancient culture — not so much declining but heading for a new, now medieval reality.