„Zmącona harmonia świata” – Gérard de Nerval i poeci Młodej Polski. Kilka spojrzeń

Abstract

The article comments on the poems of Gérard de Nerval (in particular “Aurelia” from 1855) and analyzes his work, which is dominated by the theme of individual initiation. Nerval uses dreamlike symbols, implements the theme of wandering, and refers to Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, and the religion of the East. Artists from Young Poland use a similar way of depicting the language of myths and symbols of the self. The similarity applies not only to the language of vision but also to aesthetic issues (the role of a wandering subject undergoes a process of transmutation understood in a specific way; it is a term present in alchemical reflection) and the concept of esoteric imagination. Cognition, just like in Nerval’s work, serves to recognize the place in the world (Maria Komornicka, Tadeusz Miciński) to try to revive (search for ‘new life’). An important role in artistic reflection is played, among others, by the symbolism of darkness and brightness; the poetic tale resembles bricolage, which reveals new meanings.