Staropolskie wizerunki – cechy i klasyfikacja (zarys problematyki)

Abstract

The study reveals first of all meaning of the words ‘image’ and ‘mirror’ to determine their separate and common meaning areas. Thereafter, is referred the state of research in the Old Polish mirror as the literary supragenre form to let it create an initial point for considerations willing to bring an answer for the question whether existing in the titles of the works word ‘image’ indicates literary genre or supragenre category (it is a supragenre category). Images though can be funeral sermons, saints’ lives, laudatory biographies, collections of contemplations, prayer-books, epithalamia, epicedia; triumphal sermons, descriptions (of building, painting, altar), dramatic works, theatrical summarises, collections of proverbs or even enumeration of coins in circulation. The main role of the image is constructing and giving recipient a model of object or behaviour. Images in its genological variety belong to paraenetic literature, on the other hand they enable visualisation of something (buildings, coins). In the study it was accomplished an attempt to classify the images from the genological view, as well as division into functional categories (descriptions of characters, collections of rules, descriptions of artefacts, occasional writings).