O Sylorecie Wacława Potockiego. Studia i Szkice

Abstract

The book contains a collection of studies devoted to somewhat forgotten 17th century romance Syloret by Waclaw Potocki. The primary aim of the publication is to remind the literary audience of this important work of Polish Baroque literature. It also serves as an introduction to the forthcoming critical edition of the work which is currently being prepared to print. The publication highlights some of the most important and intricate problems associated with the work of Waclaw Potocki. There have been used various methods of interpretation for the analysis of the work (e.g. literary-historical, formal-structural and narratological). The first part of the study presents the reflection on the presence of the romance genre in Potocki’s literary output and addresses the issue of the work’s reception. In subsequent analytical parts the particular attention has been paid to the problem of Syloret’s structure. Then there have been made an analysis of the narrative patterns used by the poet which enabled to demonstrate that these patterns (i.a. romantic, didactic, heroic, fabulous) shaped within the particular genres were relatively easily incorporated into the story of the Baroque poet. Having been derived from the ancient tradition the romance is in fact an amalgamated genre, in which different structures and motifs known from ancient tales can be unreservedly used. In the next part some of the possible sources of Potocki’s literary inspiration have been pointed out. It was remarked that the poet imitates stories known from the works of ancient authors, as well as establishes a dialogue with the works of the great modern epic writers. It was emphasized that he reached for motifs known from the works of Heliodor, Apuleius, Euripides, Herodotus, and the others, and in addition to that drew on the Polish translations of Italian works of Tasso and Ariosto. There have been also discussed the various techniques used by the author (e.g. reportorial narration / berichtende Erzählung /, scenic presentation / scenische Darstellung/). Furthermore, there have been shown methods aimed at diversifying the narrative (retardation, descriptions, comparisons) and moralizing digressions. In the final part of the book the interpretation of the work has been proposed. It was stressed that Syloret which was written under the influence of Neostoicism can be read in a universal way, as a reflection on the human condition, the hardships of life and vicissitudes of fate, the application of topoi dating back to ancient tradition such as peregrinatio vitae and theatrum mundi. Last but not least the attention has been paid to the personal experiences of the poet, which could affect the ultimate shape and meaning of the work.