„Historia o księżnej i szewcowej” – nieznana staropolska satyra społeczno-obyczajowa
“A Story of a Duchess and a Cobbler’s Wife” – an Unknown Old-Polish Manners and Social Satire

Summary/Abstract: “A Story of a Duchess and a Cobbler’s Wife” found in Lviv National Vasyl Stefanyk Scientific Library of Ukraine, an anonymous, unknown to date poem printed in 18th c. most probably at the publishing house held by a Lviv family of publishers – the Szlichtyns – and composed possibly much earlier is a satire on human vices, especially female ones. Texts of the type, referred to as middle-class or plebeian or pulp fiction literature, were of popular character. Published in edition numerous editions, often distributed illegally, such small volume prints were cheap and enjoyed popularity mainly among low culture representatives. The piece published here is a 13 syllable evenly rhymed line and consists of 176 verses. The satire in question raises a fairly popular motif of change of roles (as a punishment the duchess becomes a cobbler’s wife while a pious cobbler’s wife – a dutchess) with all its unpleasant consequences to the duchess – an unbearable woman. In the final part of the story the duchess becomes a righteous person and everything ends happily.

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