Gawęda szlachecka explained

Gawęda szlachecka (variously translated as szlachta storytelling,^[1] noble storytelling,^[2] noble tale,^[3] etc.) is a Polish literary form in which works are presented as a story told by a Polish nobleman stylized as a Polish oral tradition of storytelling known as gawęda, i.e., a tale of no particular plot, a series of loosely connected episodes narrated in colloquial language with many embellishments. It is associated with the tradition of Sarmatism.^[3] The Dictionary of Polish Language by PWN defines gawęda szlachecka as "a story in verse or prose demonstrating an image of Sarmatian traditions".^[4] Developed in the first half of the 19th century, Henryk Rzewuski being the most influential figure in this respect, with his (The Memoirs of Soplica). Due to the association with Sarmatism the style was also known as "pogadanka kontuszowa" ("kontusz tale"), with kontush being a distinctive Sarmatian-style garment of Polish nobility.

Influence of the Memoirs of Soplica

Czesław Miłosz wrote about Rzewuski and The Memoirs of Soplica as follows:

The Memoirs of Soplica spawned a large number of followers and thus popularized the genre of gawęda szlachecka. In particular, it impressed Adam Mickiewicz so that he created his own szlachta story, Pan Tadeusz, in which the main character belongs to the fictional Soplica family, the name borrowed from Rzewuski .^[5]

Gawęda

A 19th century Polish writer gave the following description of gawęda:

Works in gawęda szlachecka style

• Jan Chryzostom Pasek, ("Memoirs"), written in late 1600s or early 1700s, found in 18th century and fist published in full in 1836^[6]
• Henryk Rzewuski, (The Memoirs of Soplica) (a cycle of stories, 1839-1845)
• Adam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz (1834), has elements of gawęda^[7]
• Zygmunt Kaczkowski, Olbrachtowi rycerze ("Olbracht's Knights") trilogy (1889), , a cycle of historical novels, 1851-1858
• Witold Gombrowicz, Trans-Atlantyk, (1953), a satirical novel, stylized as gawęda szlachecka^{[8] [9]}
• is said to write "extensive essays combining the tradition of old szlachta gawęda ("tradycję staroszlacheckiej gawędy") with humanistic erudition."^[10]
• Adam Gorczyński, among the most popular stories were Zamek Libusza;^[11] Niedźwiedzica; Górnice; Hełm Jaksy; Wróżba Maruchy; Kasperek; Straszny strzelec.^[12] Some of these stories were translated into Czech and German.^[13]

See also

• Silva rerum

Further reading

• Krzysztof STĘPNIK, "Drobne formy narracyjne w literaturze krajowej (przyczynek genologiczny do gawędy wierszowanej)",Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska. Sectio F, Humaniora VOL. XXXI, 14, 1976, 257-270
• Kardyni-Pelikánová, Krystyna, Wykorzystanie narracji oralnej ("gawęda", "hospodská historka") w kształtowaniu nowoczesnej prozy w polskiej i czeskiej literaturze, Sborník prací Filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity. D, Řada literárněvědná. 1991, vol. 40, iss. D38, pp. 63-72

Notes and References

1. https://culture.pl/en/artist/ziemowit-szczerek Ziemowit Szczerek
2. Andrzej Zakrzewski Henryk Rzewuski and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Law
3. The Routledge World Companion to Polish Literature, 2021, p. 237
4. https://sjp.pwn.pl/sjp/gaweda-szlachecka;2460982.html "gawęda szlachecka"
5. Andrzej Waśko, "Pamiątki Soplicy na tle programowych wypowiedzi Henryka Rzewuskiego", 82/1, 60-85, 1991.
6. https://culture.pl/en/artist/jan-chryzostom-pasek Jan Chryzostom Pasek
7. https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/nauka/1515152,1,niebo-ktore-obserwowal-mickiewicz.read Niebo, które obserwował Mickiewicz
8. https://www.polskieradio.pl/8/195/artykul/196562,slynne-powiesci-witold-gombrowicz-transatlantyk Słynne powieści: Witold Gombrowicz "Trans-Atlantyk"
9. Ewa Data-Bukowska, Gawędowe opowiadanie w przekładzie Trans-Atlantyku Witolda Gombrowicza na język szwedzki – analiza stylistyczna
10. , Stanisław Vincenz, culture.pl (last modified: February 17, 2021)
11. Web site: Gorczyński . Adam . Zamek Libusza. Powieść z czasów Leszka Czarnego . 2024-04-21 . Z pogranicza . pl.
12. Book: Gorczyński, Adam . Straszny strzelec . Imprint . 2010 . 978-83-270-0470-3 . 37 . pl . 2018-03-15.
13. Kucharczyk . Roman . 2012 . Noga . Zdzisław . Adam Gorczyński z Górki (Jadam z Zatora) literat, artysta malarz, społecznik . Małopolska . pl . Kraków . XIV . 115–130 . 1641-1102.