Towianizm
Towianism
The Phenomenon and the Heritage
Contributor(s): Ewa Hoffmann-Piotrowska (Editor), Karol Samsel (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: towianism; Romanticism philosophy; socio-philosophical thought in the 19th century
Summary/Abstract: The volume contains studies on towianism and its reception process in Polish culture (until present day) and in other cultures, especially in Italy. It is divided into three parts: the first part discusses towianism as a philosophical and philosophical-religious phenomenon, the second part focuses on the reception of towianism by Towianski’s contemporaries, the third part explores the influence of towianism on post-romanticism generations. The publication consists of twenty articles written by Polish and foreign scholars, who represent different fields of humanities, methodological strategies and scientific sensibilities.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6080-7
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6072-2
- Page Count: 432
- Publication Year: 2023
- Language: English, Polish
Towianizm w ujęciu filozoficznym (i metafilozoficznym)
Towianizm w ujęciu filozoficznym (i metafilozoficznym)
(Towianism in the philosophical (and metaphilosophical) approach)
- Author(s):Andrzej Wawrzynowicz
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:11-25
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Andrzej Towiański; Polish messianism; nation; religion; philosophy; historiosophy
- Summary/Abstract:The paper addresses the role and significance of Andrzej Towiański’s concept in the development and critical reception of the idea of Polish messianism. The discussion is centred around an attempt to approach the problem from a philosophical perspective and overcome the tendency, predominant in the mainstream reception of the concept studied, to place Towiański’s thought within the narrow confines of religious discourse. The article seeks to define the theoretical status of Towianism in the general process of evolution of the Polish debate over national messianism, and discuss the metatheoretical roots of the historical controversy surrounding this position.
- Price: 1.00 €
Rozmowa ojca z synem, czyli manifest późnego towianizmu
Rozmowa ojca z synem, czyli manifest późnego towianizmu
(Conversation between father and son, that is, the manifesto of late Towianism)
- Author(s):Marek Nowak
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:26-44
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Adam Mickiewicz; Andrzej Towiański; reincarnation; threefold sacrifice
- Summary/Abstract:"Noty zebrane przez Adama Towiańskiego z kilku rozmów jego z ojcem" (The notes collected by Adam Towiański from several conversations with his father) may be considered a late Towianism manifesto. Adam Towiański conducted a number of interviews with his father, Andrzej Towiański, during which important information was provided about teaching the later stage of Towianism. The Notes... – unlike the early doctrine contained in Biesiada (The Banquet) – do not contain the esoteric vision of astronomy, the concept of reincarnation, as well as the story of dark spirits covering our planet. In Notes..., however, one can find the concept of the threefold sacrifice, or the white cross. This indicates a shift of Master Andrzej’s interests from metaphysical and esoteric to practical and moral issues.
- Price: 1.50 €
Metafory Towiańskiego
Metafory Towiańskiego
(Towiański’s metaphors)
- Author(s):Leszek Zwierzyński
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:45-60
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Biesiada; metaphors; Romanticism; spiritual; Towiański
- Summary/Abstract:The paper seeks to describe the image of the world contained in "Biesiada". This has been achieved through the study of metaphors present in the text. Three sets of metaphors have been identified. The first shows a model of the world as a static spiritual entity, a pantomime of moving columns of ghosts. The second – a spiritual anthropology: the human being turns out to be an inferior creation – a container of spirit. The third set of metaphors reveals images of God: theodicy and original spiritual Christology, topped with an innovative multidimensional symbol of the cosmic Christ. The role of "Biesiada" as a bridge between the phases of late Polish Romanticism (the poetry of Mickiewicz and Słowacki) is also emphasised.
- Price: 1.50 €
Przemoc działania, pokój bezczynu
Przemoc działania, pokój bezczynu
(The violence of action, the peace of inaction)
- Author(s):Agnieszka Bednarek-Bohdziewicz
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:61-78
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:religious reform; communitas; violence; Church system; Mickiewicz; Towiański; mysticism; silence
- Summary/Abstract:In the article, I discuss the concept of moral-religious renewal proposed by the Circle of Towiańskiites and the failure of the idea in practice. The main question in the article is: why did these passionate reformers of the official Church follow down the path of ecclesiastical mechanisms even faster than the Church itself? Is the implementation of the idea of moral-ethical and religious renewal necessarily doomed to the dialectic of orthodoxy, reform, and counter-reform? And is this practice always a dangerous existential experiment ending in violence? My answer is inspired by Victor Turner, who has described the phenomenon of communitas, as well as the work of Eugen Drewermann and Tomasz Polak’s analysis of unsuccessful attempts to reform the church system. At the same time, I try to add nuance to the understanding of the ideas of individual activists of the Circle of God’s Cause. For instance, Mickiewicz’s ideology appears as slightly different to that of Towiański’s. Mickiewicz, more than Towiański, calls for a return to metaphysical questions (Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?) instead of focusing only on moral renewal and ethics. Therefore, his religious path cannot be boiled down to two stages: the word and the deed. The poet leans more towards freedom of silence (understood as an attitude). These ideas are present not only in "Liryki lozańskie" and in "Zdania i uwagi" but also in Mickiewicz’s letter to Towiański of 12 May 1847, a moving reckoning with the sins of Towianism.
- Price: 1.50 €
„Gdyby moje powołanie nie było inne […], puściłbym się w poezją”
„Gdyby moje powołanie nie było inne […], puściłbym się w poezją”
(“If my calling had not been different [...], I would have devoted myself to poetry")
- Author(s):Ewa Hoffmann-Piotrowska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:81-97
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Mickiewicz; Towiański; towianism; romantic poetry
- Summary/Abstract:The article focuses on the problem of Towiański’s attitude to poetry. The starting point is the convictions established in the literature on the subject of Master Andrzej’s negative approach to art and the deprecating attitude to the works of poets – adepts of his science. The text is an attempt to revise the common findings expressed by outstanding literary historians such as Konrad Górski or Alina Kowalczykowa.
- Price: 1.50 €
Towiański i towianizm w listach Krasińskiego
Towiański i towianizm w listach Krasińskiego
(Towiański and Towianism in Krasiński’s letters)
- Author(s):Jerzy Fiećko
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:98-119
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:Zygmunt Krasiński; Andrzej Towiański; Towianism; prophetism; philosophy of history; magnetism
- Summary/Abstract:In the first part of the article, the author analyses Zygmunt Krasiński’s attitude to Towianism seen as a kind of religious doctrine, based primarily on the writer’s letters to various addressees. It is emphasised that at first Krasiński approached Towiański’s ideas open-mindedly and even found in them some important elements that were in line with his own philosophy of history. In later years, after the Spring of Nations, his attitude changed considerably as he began to consider Towianism one of the greatest threats to Polishness. The second part of the article contains a comprehensive reconstruction of Krasiński’s attitude towards Andrzej Towiański as a public figure. The writer devoted much attention to the phenomenon of magnetism which, as he suspected, was used by Towiański in the relations with his followers and other people around him. On the other hand, he maintained a distance from the suspicion that Master Andrzej was a Russian agent. Krasiński did not consider Towiański a prophet but a “mighty” (strong) personality and thought some of his religious ideas worth attention. Later, Krasiński significantly changed his attitude towards Towiański and after 1848 consistently described him as a personal enemy and an “agent of hell”.
- Price: 1.50 €
12 lipca 1842 roku – czy na pewno początek przemiany?
12 lipca 1842 roku – czy na pewno początek przemiany?
(Was it really the beginning of the transformation?)
- Author(s):Anna Rzepniewska-Kosińska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:120-144
- No. of Pages:25
- Keywords:Juliusz Słowacki; Andrzej Towiański; Tak mi Boże dopomóż; breakthrough; conversion; midlife crisis; spiritual transformation
- Summary/Abstract:The article concerns the work "Tak mi, Boże, dopomóż", written by Juliusz Słowacki a day after his meeting with Andrzej Towiański in 1842 and considered a testimony to the transformation that the poet underwent under the influence of the Master. Contrary to the dominant research tendency, the poem is treated here as a document of a transitional state and a record of Słowacki’s identity struggles caused by a long-lasting – and not sudden, as it is often assumed – spiritual transformation. The main area of interest is the nature of this metamorphosis. The interpretation of the poem mentioned in the title and other works as well as the correspondence, supported by the findings of psychology and psychology of religion (concerning the midlife crisis and conversion), proves that the beginnings of this process can be seen as early as 1835, and its sealing – in 1843 or 1844. The suddenness of the breakthrough, emphasized by Słowacki in the poem, seems to be an element of his own postulative biography – drawn during an identity crisis, and therefore in an uncertain way, and therefore requiring reliance on other entities, including Andrzej Towiański. Ultimately, the conversation with him turns out to be much less important than the whole reflection that followed, which was recorded, for example, in "Tak mi, Boże, dopomóż".
- Price: 1.50 €
Skryptorium „towianistyczne” (w świetle edycji "Dzieł" Adama Mickiewicza)
Skryptorium „towianistyczne” (w świetle edycji "Dzieł" Adama Mickiewicza)
(The Towianist scriptorium (in the light of the edition of Adam Mickiewicz’s "Dzieła"))
- Author(s):Ewa Szczeglacka-Pawłowska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:145-157
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Adam Mickiewicz; Andrzej Towiański; Towianism; Circle of God’s Cause; Notes from conversations with Towiański; Notebook Romanticism
- Summary/Abstract:The article is devoted to the issue of reading Towianist writings from the perspective of the concept of editions. The analysis reveals an extensive though poorly recognised part of Mickiewicz’s oeuvre, both in its oral and written form. The study focuses on the so-called “notes from conversations with Towiański” because the titles given to them by editors deprive these texts (including e.g. autograph No. 80) of their original character and meaning.
- Price: 1.00 €
„Strzeżcie się pilnie fałszywych proroków” – o postrzeganiu towianizmu przez Stefana Witwickiego
„Strzeżcie się pilnie fałszywych proroków” – o postrzeganiu towianizmu przez Stefana Witwickiego
(‘Beware of false prophets’ – about Stefan Witwicki’s perception of Towianism)
- Author(s):Joanna Stocka
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:158-173
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Stefan Witwicki; Adam Mickiewicz; Andrzej Towiański; Towianism; criticism
- Summary/Abstract:Andrzej Towiański’s views gained many followers among the representatives of Polish emigration. Adam Mickiewicz became one of the most ardent supporters. The poet’s fascination by Towianism worried his friend Stefan Witwicki and was the main cause of the conflict between the poets. The author of "Edmund" considered Towiański a heretic and, as a zealous Catholic, felt obliged to warn Mickiewicz against his misguided views. He repeatedly mentioned his fears in correspondence with his friend, and when it did not bring the expected results, he decided to speak out in public. He announced the paper "Towiańszczyzna wystawiona i aneksami objaśniona" [Towiańszczyzna Exposed and Explained with Annexes], in which he presented the history of the creation of the sect and criticised not only Towiański, but also Mickiewicz. The article is an interpretation of this brochure and presents Witwicki’s attitude to Towianism, as well as his opinion about Towiański himself and Mickiewicz, to whom the poet devotes a lot of attention in this work. The carried out analysis proves that the text is not only a critique of the author of "Biesiada" and his followers.
- Price: 1.50 €
Ofiary brata Chodźki
Ofiary brata Chodźki
(Brother Chodźko’s sacrifices)
- Author(s):Inga Walc
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:174-202
- No. of Pages:29
- Keywords:Alexander Chodźko; Adam Mickiewicz; Andrzej Towiański; Circle of God’s Cause; Towianism; Great Emigration; Collège de France; mystical sects
- Summary/Abstract:Aleksander Chodźko (1802–1891) was a poet, diplomat, translator and scholar of Persian literature, and finally Adam Mickiewicz’s successor at the chair of Slavic languages and literatures at the Collège de France. In the years 1842–1846, he also took an active part in Andrzej Towiański’s Circle of God’s Cause, which he joined under the influence and at the instigation of his close friend, Mickiewicz. This article presents the figure of Aleksander Chodźko through the prism of his participation in Andrzej Towiański’s Circle of God’s Cause. Aleksander Chodźko’s position is analysed from the point of view of his role in the Circle, showing at the same time the reasons and mechanisms that led him to accept considerable sacrifices for the Cause: his career plans, a considerable fortune brought from Persia, and his marriage plans. This short period of membership in the sect largely determined Chodźko’s fate as an emigrant in Paris from 1842 to 1891.
- Price: 2.00 €
Andrzej Towiański jako figura Norwidowskiej twórczości
Andrzej Towiański jako figura Norwidowskiej twórczości
(Andrzej Towiański as the figure of Cyprian Norwid’s works)
- Author(s):Karol Samsel
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:203-215
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Cyprian Norwid; Andrzej Towiański; Salem; Zwolon; Józef Fert
- Summary/Abstract:The article seeks to complement or even overcome the previous convictions about Cyprian Norwid’s attitude to Towianism established in research, mainly based on Józef Fert’s analysis. Literary texts penned by the author of "Promethidion", such as "Salem and Zwolon", and the poet’s correspondence with Józef Bohdan Zaleski and Jan Skrzynecki from 1848 seem to provide an important context in the discussion on Norwid’s portrayal of Towiański. The image of the author of "Biesiada" emerging from these sources appears to be ambiguous, even ambivalent, revealing Norwid’s struggles with the ideas of Towianism, the legend of Towiański, and the esteem enjoyed by the Circle of God’s Cause. It seems that over time, Norwid was becoming more and more influenced by the figure of Towiański, perhaps to such an extent that it also affected the artist’s output after 1852, for example the character of Jason the Magician (Jazon Mag) in the poem "Quidam".
- Price: 1.00 €
Towianizm – kreacja legendy
Towianizm – kreacja legendy
(Towianism – creation of a legend)
- Author(s):Jakub Pyda
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:219-247
- No. of Pages:29
- Keywords:Towianski; Towianism; legend; discourse; phantasm; revision; reception
- Summary/Abstract:In this article, I look at the controversial legend of Andrzej Towiański, the self-proclaimed prophet of the Romantic era. From the very beginning, his activities aroused radically different opinions, which over time became his “golden” and “black” portrayals. The interpretive mechanisms behind this process remain as yet unexplored. In the creation of Towiański’s legend, an important role was played not only by writers and thinkers but also by representatives of the scientific world. For this reason, I trace the presence of legend-making mechanisms primarily in the works of Towianism researchers. Thus, the article is an overview of the history of reception, but its purpose is an attempt at historical-literary revision. Rather than doing justice to individual scholars, I critically screen various scientific discourses. I demonstrate the deep connection between academic language and methaporical thinking, as well as ideological and emotional characterization. In conclusion, I pose the question of the possibility of transcending the legend-making writing of Towianism. I answer this methodological dilemma positively and outline research perspectives for the future.
- Price: 2.00 €
Turyńskie wydanie pism Andrzeja Towiańskiego – dzieło zbiorowe?
Turyńskie wydanie pism Andrzeja Towiańskiego – dzieło zbiorowe?
(The Turin edition of Andrzej Towiański’s writings – a collective work?)
- Author(s):Marlis Lami
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:248-263
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Pisma Andrzeja Towiańskiego; Karol Baykowski; Stanisław Falkowski; Attilio Begey; Tancredi Canonico; Towianism
- Summary/Abstract:The paper deals with the crucial question of primary sources which may be used in the research of Towianism. Analysing the extensive edition of "Pisma Andrzeja Towiańskiego" [Andrzej Towiański’s Writings] published by his most prominent followers after their master’s death, the author’s argument follows the perspective of religious studies in the European context. She examines this highly diverse collection of texts with regard to literary genres, linguistic aspects, and content. She then summarizes the significant interferences on the part of the editors concerning paratextual elements (e.g. commentary and explanations), intratextual elements (e.g. connections between individual texts), and intertextual elements (e.g. extensive citations of religious literature). In conclusion, the Turin edition is revealed to be a collective work of Towiański’s adherents who should be considered its co-authors. Further examination allows for the identification of two Italian co-authors, Attilio Begey and Tancredi Canonico, alongside the editors mentioned by name, Karol Baykowski and Stanisław Falkowski. The author interprets the results of the analysis with the use of the concepts of religious studies. Finally, she juxtaposes her findings with studies of later Italian publications and seeks to reconstruct themes not included in the edition, using unpublished archival material to fill in the lacunae.
- Price: 1.50 €
From Mazzini to Towiański
From Mazzini to Towiański
(From Mazzini to Towiański)
- Author(s):Giulio Dalla Grana
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:264-289
- No. of Pages:26
- Keywords:Giuseppe Mazzini; Romantic messianism; political religion; Catholic esotericism
- Summary/Abstract:The study compares the religious ideas of Giuseppe Mazzini and Andrzej Towiański, aiming to explain the reasons that contributed to the diffusion of Towiański’s doctrine in Italy. Mazzini was one of the most famous and influential patriots of 19th century Europe, and his social and political thought was one of the prominent currents animating national uprisings in Italy. This study focuses on Mazzini’s thought because of its influence on Towiański’s disciples. Therefore, it can be assumed that Mazzini’s thought facilitated the diffusion of Towianism in Piedmont. The comparison of their ideas helps to understand to what extent Towiański’s thought was similar to that of Mazzini and, consequently, to what extent Towiański’s doctrine could have been familiar to the Italian patriots. Although Mazzini and Towiański shared some ideas with several other Romantic thinkers, there are numerous similarities that are unique to their thought. Moreover, they were proponents of religious doctrines: a civil religion for Mazzini and a traditional religion for Towiański. It is significant that, in both thinkers, a constant intertwining of the political and religious spheres is present. Their political and religious stances, which promoted a messianic vision of the future of the nations, were extremely appealing to the Italian patriots engaged, like the Poles, in attempts to affirm their national independence.
- Price: 2.00 €
Ideały towianizmu w życiowej praktyce – Umberto Zanotti Bianco (1889–1963)
Ideały towianizmu w życiowej praktyce – Umberto Zanotti Bianco (1889–1963)
(Ideals of Andrzej Towiański’s thought in life practice – Umberto Zanotti Bianco (1889–1963))
- Author(s):Olga Płaszczewska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:290-311
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:Umberto Zanotti Bianco; Andrzej Towiański’s thought; Attilio Begey; Antonio Fogazzaro; polsko-włoskie związki kulturowe i literackie; dziedzictwo romantyzmu; Catholicism and heterodoxy
- Summary/Abstract:Main purpose of the essay is to reflect on the particular influence that Andrzej Towiański’s thought exercised on an Italian politician and writer, Umberto Zanotti Bianco (known also as Giorgio D’Acandia). Zanotti Bianco was an enthusiast of so called „Polish question” in the times of the First World War and as a young man he had been raised by Attillo Begey (1843–1928), one of the first disciples of Towiański in Italy. The essay consists in an analysis of a cycle of Zanotti Bianco’s autobiographical short stories combined with a reflection on his intellectual and spiritual formation as a result of the assimilation of Towiański’s ideas. Besides, the problem of living the Gospel in secular activities is discusses as a consequence of Towiański’s thought internalisation. Moreover, the relationship between the master (Begey) and the disciple (Zanotti Bianco) is read in the light of Towiański’s teaching.
- Price: 1.50 €
Grobowe milczenie?
Grobowe milczenie?
(Silent as the grave?)
- Author(s):Damian Włodzimierz Makuch
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:312-344
- No. of Pages:33
- Keywords:Andrzej Towiański; reception of Towianism; early Positivism; post-January period; Catholic criticism
- Summary/Abstract:The article discusses the changes in the reception of Andrzej Towiański and Towianism after the January Uprising (until 1882), namely in the period of the Master’s literal and symbolic departure. The author proves that in the times of the Positivist offensive, writers began to verify the harmful myths about the Towianist religious movement and its leader. The period saw the emergence, alongside memoirs and polemical narratives, of attempts to conduct research on Towianism based on preserved documents and historical works. The author shows how the stories shaped by representatives of the intelligentsia were directly connected with new political and anthropological projects, as well as with the assessment and place of religion in the post-January period.
- Price: 2.00 €
Karol Baykowski, czyli młodopolskich rozpoznań towianizmu ciąg dalszy
Karol Baykowski, czyli młodopolskich rozpoznań towianizmu ciąg dalszy
(Karol Baykowski, or the continuation of Young Poland’s discerning of Towianism)
- Author(s):Elżbieta Flis-Czerniak
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:345-362
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:Karol Baykowski; Towianism; Towianism followers; Young Poland; heritage of Romanticism
- Summary/Abstract:The article is an attempt to introduce the figure of the forgotten Towianism follower, Karol Baykowski, who lives at the turn of the 20th century in Cracow. He played an important role in shaping the views of the young generation of artists and their attitude to the heritage of Romanticism. He contributed in particular to the increased interest in the mystical-messianic period in the life of romantic prophets. According to the author of the article, Baykowski, omitted in previous research on Young Poland’s literature, art, and thought, is an important key to a more complete understanding of the works of such artists as Stanisław Wyspiański, Tadeusz Miciński, Włodzimierz Tetmajer or Jacek Malczewski, as well as to a better understanding of the intellectual and spiritual ferment as it was then.
- Price: 1.50 €
Towiański i towianizm w kręgu Reduty Juliusza Osterwy i Mieczysława Limanowskiego
Towiański i towianizm w kręgu Reduty Juliusza Osterwy i Mieczysława Limanowskiego
(Towiański and Towianism in the milieu of Janusz Osterwa and Mieczysław Limanowski’s Reduta)
- Author(s):Maria Kalinowska
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:363-372
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Reduta theatre; Juliusz Osterwa; Mieczysław Limanowski; Towiański and his thought in the Reduta Theatre
- Summary/Abstract:The text discusses the interest shown by the Reduta Theatre’s co-founders, Juliusz Osterwa and Mieczysław Limanowski, in Towianism and the person and activity of Andrzej Towiański. It also looks at the parallels and similarities between Towianists and Towiański’s ideas on the one hand, and the achievements and objectives of the Reduta Theatre’s founders on the other. What is the place of Towiański, Towianism and the Towianists in the Reduta Theatre’s duality that is being uncovered by scholars: a realistic and psychological theatre, but also a project with another, hidden aspect, an area of mystery and psychological, religious, or maybe even esoteric experimentation? The author explores the meaning Towianism had for the Reduta community and invokes the results of leading works whose authors discussed this issue, especially studies by Zbigniew Osiński and Ireneusz Guszpit. Above all, though, the paper outlines plans for further research on the multidimensional relationship between Towianism and the Reduta ideas.
- Price: 1.00 €
Mickiewicz bez humoru (Konrada Górskiego przyczynek do czarnej legendy Mistrza Andrzeja)
Mickiewicz bez humoru (Konrada Górskiego przyczynek do czarnej legendy Mistrza Andrzeja)
(Humourless Mickiewicz (Konrad Górski’s contribution to shaping Master Andrzej’s black legend))
- Author(s):Mirosław Strzyżewski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:373-385
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:history of literature of the 19th century; biography; psychologism; history of religious sects
- Summary/Abstract:A book "Mickiewicz – Towiański" (1986) written by professor Konrad Górski is a part of the group of publications forming the so-called black legend of Master Andrzej Towiański. It stems from Górski’s genuine fascination with the works of Adam Mickiewicz, who succumbed to the influence of the Koło Sprawy Bożej, which in turn had a negative impact on the poet’s attitude and his further fate. Górski blames Towiański for all of Mickiewicz’s literary and personal failures. The author of the book presents a rather archaic model of writing on literature (positivist biography) and he does not know the newer specialised literature on the subject. Furthermore, personal experiences from the period of martial law also influenced the final shape of this one-sided and unreliable publication.
- Price: 1.00 €
Cień Mickiewicza?
Cień Mickiewicza?
(Mickiewicz’s shadow?)
- Author(s):Jarosław Mariusz Ławski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
- Page Range:386-412
- No. of Pages:27
- Keywords:Andrzej Towiański; Adam Mickiewicz; stereotype; sect; theosophy; irrationality
- Summary/Abstract:The author analyses journalistic portraits of Andrzej Towiański (1799–1878), a religious thinker and theosophist who in the years 1841–1855 greatly impacted the life and work of Poland’s greatest poet, Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855). In texts penned by Ewa Polak-Pałkiewicz ("Długi cień „Mistrza”") and Piotr Wierzbicki (chapter titled “Obłęd” in the book "Powrót do Mickiewicza") in 2020–2021, Towiański is depicted as a sectarian, manipulator, a symbolical figure of a “demonic abettor” wielding destructive power over the poet. The author of the present article discusses the potential reasons for the longevity of this stereotype among both right-wing (the two mentioned above) and left-wing (Cezary Michalski, Max Cegielski, Polityka weekly) columnists. As he points out, the texts penned by left- and right-wing journalists condemn irrationality but themselves constitute an expression of irrational behaviour.
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