Nekroperformans w Pińskiem. Czercza mogiła Kraszewskiego

Abstract

This article proposes an interpretation of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski’s novel Czercza mogiła. Drawing form the new humanities, especially interest in human remains, their potential for agency, and their impact on the environment and social life, the article concentrates on the the story of Samuel Hawnul presented in the work from 1855 with the central event of digging up a hill which conceals an ancient grave. The corpse is a material trace of mysterious events from the past and this image constitutes a specific archive of the local memory of both the nobility and subjugated peasants. Kraszewski used various versions of the legend about the origin of the eponymous grave, and his work eventually turns into an tncanny horror story. Consequently, the setting gained significance in the literary promotion of the region, which found itself on the writer’s sightseeing and historical travel route.