Legenda o Wandzie i jej romantyczne reinterpretacje. Interferencje polsko-francuskie
The Legend of Wanda and Its Romantic Interpretations. Polish-French Interference

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with traces of the legendary Polish ruler Wanda in Polish and French literature of the 19th century. On the one hand, the interpretative potential inherent in the legend, exploited by Polish Romantic writers, is evoked; on the other, the history of the French reception of the story of Wanda from the sixteenth century onwards is presented, as well as the circumstances of the popularity of “la question polonaise” in Paris thanks to the Great Emigration. The comparative analysis discusses the works by Zygmunt Krasiński (Wanda), Juliusz Słowacki (Król-Duch and a drama about Beniowski) and Cyprian Norwid (Wanda), who re-write Wanda’s legend, as well as the French works whose heroines bear the name of Wanda: in particular, Alfred de Vigny’s poem Wanda. Histoire russe and Honoré de Balzac’s novel L’Envers de l’histoire contemporaine. Second épisode: L’initié. The comparative approach leads to an exposition of Polish and French critical and creative reinterpretations not only of the story of Wanda, but also of the stereotype of Polishness.

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