Konwersje autotematyzmu albo autotematyzm jako szansa zwrotu
Conversions of “Autothematicism,” or Autothematicism as a Possibility of a Turn

Summary/Abstract: The article is an attempt to describe autothematicism [autotematyzm] – a term coined in Poland by Artur Sandauer in the mid-20th century, referring to the quality of radically meta-reflexive works – from seven complementary perspectives. The Sandauerian understanding of the concept of metareflection was slightly different from the Western visions of mise-en-abyme or metafiction; it was described in the context of German idealistic philosophy and aesthetics. Sandauer defined the artistic “theme” as an objectivization of content (an author’s perceptions and experiences); therefore “autothematicism” is not synonymous with the other terms mentioned above, which can provide interesting interpretations of self-referential works. The present paper shows that the Sandauerian concept of self-referentiality can be seen as an end product of various transformations (conversions): literature’s (or the subject’s) retreat from all kinds of transcendence and reality, self-reflection of the creative “I,” or the text’s orientation to its own ontology. However, this understanding can be reversed. Autothematicism (as an operative concept) can also be seen as a mechanism that enables the autonomous positioning of art in relation to the “reality” it co-constructs, which enables literature to take active participation in the rebuilding of the world.

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