Polish Romanticism Research Articles

Karta z dziejów dziewiętnastowiecznych stosunków polsko-ukraińskich: Włodzimierz Wysocki dla Wołodymyra Antonowycza – słowa uznania Polaka dla Ukraińca

This publication presents for the first time Włodzimierz Wysocki’s poetry dedicated to Volodymyr Antonovych, along with a discussion of the poem’s creation and content. A toast by Włodzimierz Wysocki, a Polish poet-positivist and a proponent of the “Ukrainian school” of Polish Romanticism, living in Kyiv, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the scientific work of the prominent Ukrainian historian and University of Kyiv professor, Volodymyr Antonovych, and presents the author’s concerns. It attempts to uncover the roots of these suspicious relations, establish mutual understanding, and eliminate hatred. Thus, Wysocki’s work forms a significant chapter in the history of Polish-Ukrainian relations.

The Polish reception of H.W. Longfellow’s poem Excelsior in the 19th century

The paper discusses Polish translations of H.W. Longfellow’s poem Excelsior. They were written by Maria Ilnicka, Adam Asnyk, Konstanty Gaszyński and Adam Pajgert. I examine Polish modernist paraphrases of this poem (e.g. Jan Kasprowicz’s text). At least 5 Polish translations of Longfellow’s poem were published more or less at the same time (mid-19th century), therefore one can speculate on the reasons for such surprising popularity of Longfellow in Poland. A brief outline of Longfellow’s reception in Poland is also presented, together with Polish Romantic poets’ fascination with his artistic achievement.

Rozważania na marginesie monografii życia i twórczości Aleksandra Grozy. O poematach Melancholia i Kniaźnin

The article compares two poems by Aleksander Groza, a representative of the “Ukrainian school” of Polish Romanticism, which has not yet been the subject of a thorough literary analysis. The first poem, Melancholia. The Mad Poet, is Groz’s debut publication that appeared in the Noworocznik litewski for the year 1831. The second one, Kniaźnin, was included in the first volume of his poetry collection (Poezje, Wilno 1836). The research for Aleksander Groza’s monograph has revealed some interesting interpretative and biographical facts related to these texts. Drawing from the methodology of comparative studies, biography, and intertextual analysis, the author succeeded in establishing the intertextual dependencies and discovered the sources of the poet’s inspiration from German (J.W. Goethe), native Lithuanian (A. Mickiewicz), and local Ukrainian (J.M. Zaleski, A. Malczewski, M. Maksymowicz) literary circles.

Mickiewicz poetą mściwym czy nauczającym przebaczenia? W poszukiwaniu „trzeciej drogi” przekładu interkulturowego na przykładzie "Zdań i uwag" Adama Mickiewicza

The literature of Polish Romanticism, which Marta Piwińska called “a Renaissance of Christianity”, from the beginning of its presence in China has had a contrastingly different reception from that of Polish readers. This article offers a reading of Adam Mickiewicz’s "Zdania i uwagi. Z dzieł Jakuba Bema, Anioła Ślązaka (Angelus Silesus) i Sę-Martena" ["Sentences and Remarks. From the Works of Jakob Böhme, Angelus Silesius and Saint-Martin"], conducted so as to open up a space for reflection on a set of questions that are crucial to cross-cultural studies: Will cultural differences always impede intercultural translations and, by the same token, the reception of works originating from one tradition by readers from another? Is it possible to find a platform that would allow for a dialogue between an author rooted – often in a dialogical way – in the Christian Romantic tradition on the one hand and a reader brought up in the Confucian culture on the other? The aim of this article is to propose an answer to these questions.

Trzy wizje Ukrainy w twórczości Aleksandra Karola Grozy

In the article selected works of Aleksander Groza, a representative of “the Ukrainian school” of Polish romanticism, have been thoroughly investigated. The author used interpretive methods of postcolonialism, comparative studies and intertextuality, and sometimes also from the field of ethnography and ethnology. The article is an introduction to the monograph that the author is currently working on. As a result of the analysis of the works, it was possible to distinguish three main images of the Ukraine, which are stereotypical for the Polish literature in genere: Arcadian Ukraine, Cossack Ukraine and frenetic Ukraine. By using the fragments of Groza’s texts, as well as intertextual references, the author characterized each of these images. After outlining the poet’s profile through a simple biography, which will be developed in the future, the author of the article conducted an analysis and interpretation of the following works by Groza: the volume Poezje, Ukrainian elegies: Soroka and Pierwsza pokuta Żeleźniaka, poem Mogiły, dramas Śmieciński and Hryć. Such a versatile choice of texts allowed to draw some interesting conclusions concerning Aleksander Groza’z profile.

Ruczaj i *ręczaj w słownictwie i nazewnictwie polskim. Próba nowego spojrzenia z perspektywy słowiańskiej

Onomastic data entitle to believe that Old Polish inherited from Common Slavic two variants of a term for ‘(small) stream’, namely, *ręczaj < *rǫčajь and *ruczaj < *ručajь. Both seem attested only by proper names (15th–20th centuries), the former primarily by four toponyms in southern Mazovia (Ręczaje 3x and Zręczaje), while the latter left traces in the toponymy of Central Poland and of the southern part of Greater Poland. None of them has been confirmed lexically in the „native” Polish dialects of the 20th century. Starting from the 17th century, texts of some authors rooted in the North‑Eastern periphery of Middle Polish (Lithuania, Byelorussia) attest a term ruczåj -aju ‘stream’, which is to be regarded as a loan from Old Byelorussian. One is inclined to connect its subsequent penetration, as a poetical word, into the literary Polish (the late 19th century) with its multiple occurrences in key instances of poetry by Adam Mickiewicz, the most outstanding writer of the Polish Romanticism, whose roots lay precisely in the Byelorussian ethnic territory. In the historical Slavic languages we find reflexes of the related variants *rǫčajь, *ručajь, *ručьjь (and *rǫčьjь?) and probably *(ne)rǫčь (~ *(ne)ručь?), the latter presumably constituting a starting point for the former four. A reliable reconstruction of the primary form together with its true etymological cognates seems, however, very difficult, if not impossible at all.

Between Historical Reality and Poetic Imagination

This article is a literary-historical interpretation of the works of the Polish Romantics. Many of the outstanding Polish Romantic writers were fascinated by the 1821 Greek Revolution. Poland had been subjugated since the end of the eighteenth century so the uprising was an important revolutionary model for Poles. The space and time of the poetic vision of the Greek War of Independence in those Romantic texts was of great importance for historiosophical and existential reflection. The Polish Romantics mentioned many different places that were connected with the Greek Revolution, such as Psara, Chios, Jassy, Kleisova islet and Messolongi. The choice to focus on these places, as well as the contexts of their representation, are significant. A variety of interpretations of the Greek War and Greek heritage emerge from these texts, such as the Greek Uprising as an important event integrating the European tradition and as the embodiment of the main existential and political problems of the nineteenth century, as well as the heroic interpretation of the revolution as an ideal to be emulated by enslaved nations. The Polish Romantic texts under discussion contain various poetic images of the space and time of the Greek War of Independence.

Wanderers – Pilgrims – Soldiers – Emigrants

The main purpose of the article is to review imageries and experiences of a specific group of poets organized within the frame of the Second Polish Corps during World War II, and to analyze its most characteristic motifs within a deeper historical context of Polish romanticism, as “replayed” in the paths and roles of the Corps poets-soldiers. The study is based on the extensive use of all available books of verses and other literary publications of the Corps, which were produced on the long way from the Soviet Union, where the bulk of Corps was formed in 1941–1942, through the Middle East, Italy, to the final exile station, London in most cases. This material is analyzed within the reference framework of the Polish poetry of World War II studies, as well as comparative studies on the Polish romantic literary tradition, especially that of the Great Emigration. This comparative point of view and method of analysis is used in all parts of the chronologically organized text. From a short presentation of the history of the Corps variegated cultural life which accompanied its development from 1941 to 1945, it proceeds to similarly succinct picture of the group of more than 80 active poets publishing in the Corps. The study centers its analysis on the main theme forming the time-perception of the world presented in soldier poetry: the motif of the road or path. It reveals a phenomenon of uniting very different poetic “schools” and styles (from extreme avant-gardist and futurist, through neoromanticism, to cabaret texts) under the pressure of the war and exile experiences, as well as the strength of the great romantic tradition of Polish poetry formed along a very similar path: from Russia, Siberia, through the Middle East, to Italy, where Polish soldiers had fought under Napoleon, to London and Paris, centers of the Great Emigration. Topoi of martyrdom, strengthened through Siberia and the Holy Land connections, homelessness, martial experiences in Italy, a “treason” of Western allies (Teheran and Yalta conferences) are effectively “refreshed” in this comparative approach.

On Some Selected Slavic Motifs of the Collection Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi by Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki

The two-volume collection of Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi (Fables: Ancient Legend and Folk Narratives of Poland and Russia) by Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki, a writer and popularizer of folk tales, aroused interest in Poland and among lovers of Slavic folk culture. K. W. Wójcicki wrote his book in the 1830s, in an era of strong Slavophile sentiments and under the influence of Polish Romantics from Lviv. The author mentions earlier research by Julian Krzyżanowski, Julian Maślanka, Ryszard Wojciechowski and Violetta Wróblewska concerning the collection Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi. In fairy tales in the collection by K. W. Wójcicki, apart from motifs and content from the Polish folk tradition, there are elements from other Slavic traditions. The author analyzes the presence of Serbian, Slovak and Ukrainian motifs, pointing to the sources, methods of Polonization and the author’s stylization of Slavic folkloric motifs.

Ukraine as the Hub of Postimperial Formalism. Ukrainness, Revolutionary Populism, and the Theory of Poetical Language ‘in’ Russia and ‘in’ Poland

AbstractThe notion of ‘postimperial formalism’ accounts of the interconnectedness of Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish variants of formalism, whose distinctive character is contingent on the dialectics of liberation and subjugation (or autonomy and heteronomy) operating in the multinational entity of the Russian empire. Specifically, the theory of poetic language – the pars pro toto of early literary theory – carries with itself the survivals of the conditions of the multinational empire. This is most eloquently expressed in the writings of Polish and Jewish-Ukrainian populist activists turned ethnographic researchers, who prepared a theory of poetic language to which the formalists could have recourse. I first map the dimensions of the Ukrainian investment into the formulation of the theory of poetic language. Secondly, I describe the role of the constructed Ukrainness – under the guise of the so-called Ukrainian school of Polish romanticism – in the emergence of Polish formalism.

Lieu d’intimité – lieu d’imagination. Géographie littéraire de Zygmunt Krasiński

Zygmunt Krasiński, the most European of the Polish Romantic writers, composed many literary texts influenced by foreign travels. In his writing, specific geographical spaces were transformed at once into places of imagination and places of intimacy, forming a unique sphere of auto/bio/geo/graphy. This is especially noticeable in Krasiński’s poetic prose written in French, mainly in the half-private and half-literary travel impressions of his excursions in the Alps. The tension between a place of imagination and a place of intimacy is also reflected in the poet’s correspondence, which can be analysed as a textual form of interiorization of the strictly defined places. It is shown in the article on the examples of the Alps and Provence.

Jacek Malczewski’s picturesque story

Jacek Malczewski was a painter who, in his monumental artistic output, left works revolving around the problems of homeland, freedom and lost identity, life and death, spanning between romantic visions and metaphysics. He was inspired by the art of antiquity, Polish Romanticism, but also tapped into folklore, complicating the meaning of his paintings with symbolism that was not always easy to understand. It was a multi-layered oeuvre, a testament to his great erudition, but also to the imagination and sensitivity of a refined humanist. In his paintings, he also asked about the essence of being an artist, the artist’s responsibility, and was interested in the problem of whether artists are really only masters of themselves, or whether they have a responsibility for the artistic tasks they take on. During the seventy-five years of the artist’s life, the history of Europe and Poland changed profoundly. His creative personality was mainly influenced by Poland’s loss of independence which entailed an identity crisis. Throughout his artistic path, Malczewski subscribed to the inherent mission of art to build national identity through creative exploration of various myths. He illustrated the dream of freedom and independence, showed the suffering of the nation and its sacrifice, and recalled the idea of the homeland which was to be both a homeland, a home, but also the foundation of national culture.

Дискурси влади у творчості юліуша словацького

Juliusz Słowacki, a Polish Romantic poet and dramatist, was born in Krzemieniec,where he spent part of his life. As a result, he was well-versed in Ukrainian, and asa writer, he largely depended on Ukrainian settings, Ukrainian history, and Ukrainian folklore. Ukrainian themes became an inherent part of his literary works. Bestknown for his masterpieces Balladyna (1834), Mazepa (1839), Lilla Weneda (1840),Jan Kazimierz (1839), Bienowski (1841), Sen srebrny Salomei (1843), and Ksiądz Marek(1843), Słowacki is now regarded as an outstanding writer, whose ideas and aestheticvalues influenced generations of other European artists. Underrated during his lifetime, he appears at his most resplendent nowadays. The discourses of power in theworks of Słowacki are given close attention because they are of crucial importance forhis original texts. The multi-faceted personalities of numerous monarchs depicted byhim, give an insight into the author’s understanding of power and its nature.

Queer Transgressions in Twentieth-Century Polish Fiction: Gender, Nation, Politics

Queer Transgressions in Twentieth-Century Polish Fiction: Gender, Nation, Politics

Romantyzm — kino — Janion. Omówienie książki Krzysztofa Kopczyńskiego „Paradygmat polskiego romantyzmu w uniwersum filmowym”

The aim of the review article is to discuss Krzysztof Kopczyński’s book The Polish Romantic Paradigm in the Universe of Film. It is the first monograph in film studies grounded in the methodological and interpretative findings of Maria Janion and her interpretation of the paradigm of Polish Romanticism. Kopczyński analyzes Polish cinema through exactly that lens. Part I of the book is an extensive presentation of theoretical and methodological tools related to romantic philosophy and the romantic paradigm used by the scholar, and provides an overview of the state of research. Part II focuses on the relationship between cinema and Romanticism. It also includes a presentation of the state of research in this area, the position of film in Janion’s research and a discussion of Marcin Maron’s monographs Romanticism and Cinema. Part III contains the analysis of works of film whichdeal with the issue of suicide. Kopczyński looks at them through the conceptual triad of melancholy, tragedy and romantic irony.

PAMIĘĆ O KOZAKU UKRAIŃSKIM W UJĘCIU LITERACKIM ROMANTYKÓW UKRAIŃSKICH I POLSKICH

PAMIĘĆ O KOZAKU UKRAIŃSKIM W UJĘCIU LITERACKIM ROMANTYKÓW UKRAIŃSKICH I POLSKICH

Jan Sawka: Theatre of Image and Metaphor

Jan Sawka: Theatre of Image and Metaphor

ІСТОРІОСОФІЧНІСТЬ РОМАНТИЧНОГО МІФУ УКРАЇНИ БОГДАНА ЗАЛЕСЬКОГО

When studying Polish Romantic historical poems, the motifs of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation and unity appear repeatedly (out of the entire number of the ’Ukrainian school’ of Polish Romanticism, this is the most common of J. B. Zaleski). However, no matter how positive this narrative seems for Ukrainian recipient, this approach leads to an objectified view of Ukraine and Ukrainians for readers of other nations. We see the need to (re)read and deconstruct the myth of Ukraine, which would reveal the Ukrainian view of self-expression, as an urgent problem in the study of Zaleski’s literary legacy. The unique position of the Ukrainian researcher allows to reach the subjectivity and dismiss possible prejudices about what is depicted by the first author and to make a qualitative contribution to this part of the Polish Borderland discourse. The research is initiated on the subject of everything from the sphere of Ukrainianness, which is subject for Zaleski to mythologize. The aspect of myth-making is rarely raised by literary critics in relation to any writers. A poet on the Borderland, who accepted his Ukrainian identity is a rather rare case, therefore interesting to study. The priority of studying B. Zaleski’s heritage can be seen in his belonging to the paradigm of similarities, the discourse of finding points of contact with Polish culture, understanding and reconciliation. Any studies on the vision of Ukraine are also useful for studying the external perception of Ukrainianness by the represantatives of other nations. In this article we aim to determine the genesis, aspects and functions of the mythologizing of Ukraine in the poetry of B. Zaleski during his creative life on the basis of poems containing Ukrainian attributes (history, folklore, geography, etc.), the mutual influence of the myth of Ukraine and the dual identity of Zaleski, to show the multi-layered attitude of the Polish poet to Ukraine and Ukrainians in interaction with the Polish ethnic group and beyond.

Ukraina polskiego romantyka – twórczość Aleksandra Grozy

Ukraine of the Polish Romantic – Aleksander Karol Groza’s Oeuvre The goal of the article, which is part of author’s postdoctoral dissertation, is to focus on one of the writers from the “Ukrainian School”, whose life and oeuvre haven’t been a subject of a more thorough study yet – Aleksander Karol Groza, also known during his lifetime as the “Ukrainian Ossian”. Through the analysis of writer’s literary works and memoirs, the author attempts to present a coherent vision of Ukraine painted by Polish writer, who had become fascinated with Ukrainian folklore. It is a vision of writer finding his inspiration at the crossroads of two different nations, two different societies, and therefore different systems of values, customs, and even religion. Groza tries to immortalise the “nation’s spirit”, whom he loves and admires. Even if he belongs to the category of minorum gentium writers, his person and oeuvre are wroth revisiting in light of the current Polish-Ukrainian sociopolitical relations. The knowledge of the past relations can help in building joint future of both nations.

Odwieczny model dziejów Rosji

The eternal model of Russia’s historyThe article discusses a dual model of the history of Russia presented in the speeches of Polish Romantics included in the Russian studies texts of the following epochs and in the works of Russian authors, e.g. Yuri Lotman and Boris Uspensky. The author proves that the Gnostic-Manichaean influence on the religiousness of Russians is the source of their accumulation of rebellion against the world and the human fate predicted in it. This rebellion on the basis of a radical anti-world dualism gives rise to the destructive desires of Russians, which explode in various forms of historical destruction. They push the Russians into wars, partitions, revolutions and invasions.