Między egzaminem a widowiskiem
Between an Exam and a Spectacle

The Case of Student Public Demonstrations at the Volhynian Gymnasium/Lyceum

Summary/Abstract: Public examinations, known as “demonstrations” [popisy], organised at the Volhynian Gymnasium and Lyceum in Krzemieniec referred to a centuries-old educational tradition. Set up at the end of the school year, following internal examinations, the results of which determined whether the students got promoted to the next grade or not, they were meant to advertise the school but also to spread knowledge. Their spectacularity, however, was also an important factor, especially that the audiences, made up of the students’ family members and people living in Krzemieniec, lacked the education to fully appreciate the scholarly merits of the demonstrations. The students were behaving like artists. In the great hall of the school, they walked onto a podium, which resembled a stage, and recited answers to questions they knew in advance. Diary accounts bear evidence that the public examinations were a kind of entertainment for people living in Krzemieniec and its vicinity and were eagerly awaited for all year long.

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