Uwagi o kulturze orientalnej w dokumentach sformułowanej świadomości estetycznoliterackiej polskiego Oświecenia (w pismach teoretycznoliterackich i krytycznoliterackich)

Abstract

Orientalism, which is generally understood as a reference to the Eastern culture, was an important trend of the Enlightenment. It was based on specific, created by Europeans, image of Orient. An important role in creation of the image of the East was played by poetics and literary criticism of the period. They were reflecting both knowledge and opinions about Orient. Many of them were normative texts and they have influenced writers` process of creation. That is why it is worth taking a closer look at what role “the Oriental matter” played in their works and what vision of the East they created. The interesting notices are possible to be found in texts from the whole Enlightenment period – from the beginning of Stanisław August Poniatowski`s reign to the twenties of 19th century. Moreover, they represent main culture movements of the period. This subject was raised by many writers, among them I. Krasicki, J. U. Niemcewicz, A. K. Czartoryski, S. K. Potocki, E. Słowacki, J. Tarnowski. The analysis of selected works makes it possible to highlight a few aspects of Eastern culture on which the authors have been particularly focused.