Solidarność, wspólnota i etyka w kontekście humanistyki zaangażowanej (współczesne powieści historyczne dla młodego odbiorcy jako przykłady literatury sprawczej)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze and interpret contemporary Polish novels for young people that portray the image of the People’s Republic of Poland. These works provoke young readers to discuss historical issues and help build historical awareness and social memory. The times of Solidarity, the period of martial law and – in a broader context – the social and moral realities of the communist era as literary subjects are excellent examples of this. Literary “provocations” and controversial evaluation of events in the books discussed in this text are often realized through narrative challenges, such as “private” narratives (micro-stories) modeled on stories of family life, strengthening the understanding of the culture of memory (collective and individual), the perspective of a child/teenage protagonist, the unconventionality and innovation of the authors’ artistic creation, the strength of which are political allusions and elements of historical politics recognizable at a deeper level of meaning. Treated as literary endeavors (e.g., from the perspective of the poetics of everyday life exposing the phenomena of modus vivendi and modus adaptandi), they create in the stories a platform for discussion about solidarity and community of action by audiences of different ages, provoking difficult intergenerational dialogue and reflection on martial law or – more broadly – the communist period.