Męczennica polskości i jej admiratorzy. Krytyka tradycyjnego modelu patriotyzmu w Matce Makrynie Jacka Dehnela

Abstract

A Martyr of Polishness and Her Admirers: A Criticism of the Traditional Model of Patriotism in Matka Makryna by Jacek Dehnel The article is a case study of Jacek Dehnel’s novel Matka Makryna as an instrument for criticising the traditional model of patriotism. The object of analysis is the self-creation of the main character – a Russian officer’s widow who introduces herself as Mother Macrina, a superior of Basilian nuns in Minsk, oppressed by the Russians. Over time, she becomes “a martyr of Polishness,” a symbol of the suffering of Poles caused by the invader. Jacek Dehnel presents the supposed Macrina not only as a talented fabricator, but also as a personification of an antimodern, xenophobic image of Polishness. Closely linked to this image is the way of understanding patriotism based on an obsession with independence which continues to be cultivated in the present day. It is this traditional model of patriotism that is the main object of criticism in Dehnel’s novel. As a result, Mother Macrina gains a clear connection with contemporary Polish culture that is unique among other novelised biographies.