History of Polish Literature (Positivism) WH-FPZ-I-2-HLP-Pozw

Course contents: The 19th century formation: epochs and currents. Positivism between modernity and modernism. Positivism in the
nineteenth century Poland - determinants of consciousness: experience of the January Uprising (trauma, anomy, social and individual
disintegration), experience of accelerating civilization (anthropological aspect of the phenomenon). Polish transformation formula.
After-January creators and the phenomenon of Polish Romanticism. Positivist reflection on the psychology of the individual genius.
The mental situation of the starting generation of writers (the pressure syndrome of "great fathers", the Bloom category of "fear of the
influence").
Trauma of the January Uprising as the generation experience. Expression of the Warsaw events and insurrection in literature and
visual arts. Poetics and topics of the literature of the November and January Uprisings - the paradigm unity.
Name of the epoch, - the Polish and European nomenclature practice. Polish positivism on the European background - the inspiration
of the West: A. Comte, J.S. Mill, H. Spencer, H.T. Buckle, Ch. Darwin, E. Renan. "Plagiarism" of philosophical breakthroughs in Poland
and the native premises of the breakthrough. 'Przedburzowcy’ - aspect of the settlement and the aspect of group awareness. Another
face of outlook of the second half of mid-nineteenth century - the inspiration of metaphysical irrationalism - A. Schopenhauer, G.T.
Fechner, R.H. Lotze, E. von Hartmann, W, Wundt. Metaphysical doctrines influence on literature - transcendence of realists. Short
stories and a parabolic novel.
Map of ideological attitudes after the January Uprising: 'Stańczycy', Warsaw young conservatives, positivists. Social outlook aspect of
the "young", its diagnostic-therapeutic character, a polemic against the romantic tradition.
Chronological framework and internal caesuras of the epoch. The concept of generation experience. First and second generation of
Polish positivists - representatives, specificity of creative programs and practices.
Aesthetic aspect of the "young". Utilitarianism and the postulate of didacticism. Biased literature, its poetics (typical persuasive tricks, a
character and theme). A biased novel and the Biedermeier one.
The concept of "deductive literature" and "inductive literature" - twilight of biased idea. Mimetism and realism postulate. Poetics of "mature realism".
Political slavery and the situation of speech - censorship and self-censorship. Press, book, theatre censorship, Aesopian language
and its typical clues.
Literary life after the January Uprising. Professionalization of the writer's profession. Institutions of intellectual life, expansion of themmass media - the role of the press. Great writers of the period of journalists.
Picture prose, short stories and storytelling. Episode of a biased story, masterpieces of realistic stories, a parabolic novel. Poetics of the story cycle. French Naturalism - the currents aesthetic assumptions. Reception of Naturalism in Poland - the role of "Wanderer"; a slogan: "it's not what but how". Native experiments and reminiscents of typical themes and naturalistic techniques in works of the epoch.
Positivist masterpieces - an "ideal" of a realistic novel and 'Nad Niemnem' and 'Cham' by Orzeszkowa and ‘Lalka' and 'Emancypantki'
by Prus. The evolution of the individual workshops of after-January authors.
Syndrome of crisis - an escape into nature and antiquity, the history, utopia, or mysticism. Literature of positivism in search of God -
Biblical themes in literature of the period.
Positivist Parnassus. Romantic martyrological topics of after-January poetry. Reception and adaptation of European achievements of
Parnassism and symbolism. Poetics of lyrical cycle.
Functions of the theatre of the epoch. Types of theaters - their repertoire specificity and the audience. Strands of dramatic writing:
influence of French drama and bourgeois comedy, the role of Fredro tradition.