“Though the bird had plenty of everything in its cage, it would be glad to be free” – comments on the manuscript about the kidnapping of a maiden, about slavery and freedom in animal fairy tales Cover Image

„Choć wszytkiego w klateczce dosyć, rada na świebodzie” – na marginesie rękopiśmiennego utworu o porwaniu panny. Niewola i wolność w bajkach zwierzęcych
“Though the bird had plenty of everything in its cage, it would be glad to be free” – comments on the manuscript about the kidnapping of a maiden, about slavery and freedom in animal fairy tales

Author(s): Monika Szafrańska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Polish Literature
Published by: Instytut Badań Literackich Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: raptus puellae; abduction; Aleksander Minor; occasional poetry; freedom; captivity; fable

Summary/Abstract: The aim of presented article is to discuss the problem of captivity and freedom in an animal fairy tale that appeared on the margins of the reading of the occasional piece “Rapt J[ej] m[ości] Panny Dzierżanowskiej przez J[ego]m[ości] P[an]a Frantemberka”, described by J[ego] m[ości] P[an]a Aleksandra Minora, cupbearer of Chełm. qe piece that need to be commented more broadly is a conventional description of changes in the heroine’s appearance and behaviour when she decides to escape from her family home with her beloved at night. the heroine was compared to a bird in a cage. this opens a fairy-tale perspective and poses questions about love, freedom and slavery. Due to a great extensiveness of the relevant material, the article includes only those fairy tales that discuss the themes of slavery and freedom. (Horacy, Fedrus, Biernat of Lublin, Mikołaj Rej, Bartosz Paprocki, Jean La Fontaine, Ignacy Krasicki, Adam Mickiewicz).

  • Issue Year: 15/2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 5-18
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish