Z literackiego kanonu filozofa: Henryk Sienkiewicz
From a Philosopher’s Literary Canon: Henryk Sienkiewicz

Summary/Abstract: Philosophers tend not to appreciate the literary works of Henryk Sienkiewicz and consider him to be a popular writer. On the contrary, one could argue that the Nobel laureate’s prose has a significant philosophical dimension – it undermines at least a few myths prevalent in human culture. The first myth concerns the truth and meaning of life. The literary fates of Petronius, Płoszowski or Bukacki not only show that there is no such thing as objective truth which could become the foundation of human life, but that the very concept of objective, final, and eternal truth is incomprehensible. It is also impossible to answer the question whether life has meaning or not. Even more radically, Sienkiewicz dismantles the myth of Christianity as a religion of peace and love, by showing that it is a religion of violence, and the colonial myth of white supremacy, by showing that white people are defined by ruthlessness, killing, and conquering the world. Sienkiewicz’s prose also overthrows the myths of knighthood, patriotism, and war; the writer shows that famous knights do not defend any noble ideals, but instead are professional killers who want to be famous. Finally, Sienkiewicz deals with the myth of woman as an object of male, knightly adoration. From the perspective of men, such as Winicjusz, Kmicic, or Skrzetuski, a woman is no more than a sexual object and a mother, destined to give birth to new legions of soldiers. Undermining the myth of womanhood also results in disrupting the binary distinction between the social roles of men and women, as exemplifies by Skrzetuski’s fiancée, who dressed as a young man, nevertheless arouses erotic desire in other men.

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