Jak filomaci opowiadali swoją młodość?
How Did the Philomaths Relate Their Youth?

An Analysis of Philomath Society Speeches from the Years 1818–1821

Summary/Abstract: At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, as a result of political and social transformations, youth unions and associations were established en masse. According to researchers, the main principle organising their emergence and development was youth, the assumptions and ideals of which lay at the foundations of many literary, artistic, and reformative programmes. In Poland, such an association was Philomath Society, perceived as the first generation community aware of its youth. However, an analysis of the language of speeches delivered during formal union meetings in the years 1817–1821 raises doubts about the belief that the Philomaths made youth a supreme value. Youth was a subject of polemics within the union, and its different understanding by the Philomaths became a factor that inhibited and ultimately prevented the implementation of their self-education and general social program.

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