Metafora idzie na wojnę. Uwagi nad tekstami napisanymi w Warszawie w latach 1939–1944
Metaphor Goes to War: Notes on Literature Written in Warsaw in 1939–1944

Summary/Abstract: This paper is concerned with the use of metaphor in the Polish literature of the World War II period, and particularly in the texts written in Warsaw. The issue of the use of metaphor could be crucial to the establishment of whether, or not, we deal with a new literary period at this time. It seems that even references to traditional literature (especially to that of the Romantic period) take on an entirely new expression. Metaphors from old works by various authors were put together to form new metaphors. Naturally, popular-patriotic poetry merely made use of existing metaphoric models. More ambitious authors, on the other hand, created poetry which was subjectively metaphorised and far more hermetical – where the visionary flow was of more importance than exact recognition of the meaning. This was a phenomenon which arose out of the extraordinary conditions in which these young authors, engaged in underground resistance activities, found themselves. Their works frequently contain grotesque metaphors, which serve to prove the inadequacy of confronting ideas with reality. Finally, it is worth noting yet another phenomenon – that of a verbal crisis, an awareness that wartime experience cannot always be put into words – a fact attested to by Polish writers during the period of the occupation. This crisis also reflects the realisation that metaphor is inappropriate in the face of war and death. Nonetheless, metaphor – which forms an intrinsic part not only of language but also of human thought – remains not vanquished. This situation is born by the very works which try to free themselves of it.

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