O literaturze i życiu literackim Wolnego Miasta Krakowa: 1816-1846

Abstract

The book presents literary phenomena of the Free City of Krakow, a political formation created by the Congress of Vienna, remaining under the protectorate of the Holly Alliance. The time frames of the historical and literary narration of the work correspond to the period which marks the existence of the Free City of Krakow (the Republic of Krakow). In 1816-1846, a change of literary epochs occurred in the Krakow region and the most valuable part of the Krakow literature of the Romanticism was created. The book arose from the need of systematising of knowledge about this literature, correction of false information, obliterating of unknown areas, reconsideration of a prevailing opinion about importance of the Krakow centre in the literature of the Late Enlightenment and Romanticism in the Polish culture. A literary process within the discussed period has been divided by the author into four phases (1816-1828, 1828-1830, 1831-1840, 1841-1846). This periodisation functions as a compositional factor of the book. Beside literature, the author presents broadly literary life of the city (periodicals and printing, institutions, literary communication, as well as literary tradition and awareness, social circles of literature reception), and set of conditions and circumstances from the scope of social culture, customs, politics, accompanying the literary life.