„Strzeżcie się pilnie fałszywych proroków” – o postrzeganiu towianizmu przez Stefana Witwickiego
‘Beware of false prophets’ – about Stefan Witwicki’s perception of Towianism

Author(s): Joanna Stocka
Subject(s): Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, 19th Century, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Stefan Witwicki; Adam Mickiewicz; Andrzej Towiański; Towianism; criticism
Summary/Abstract: Andrzej Towiański’s views gained many followers among the representatives of Polish emigration. Adam Mickiewicz became one of the most ardent supporters. The poet’s fascination by Towianism worried his friend Stefan Witwicki and was the main cause of the conflict between the poets. The author of "Edmund" considered Towiański a heretic and, as a zealous Catholic, felt obliged to warn Mickiewicz against his misguided views. He repeatedly mentioned his fears in correspondence with his friend, and when it did not bring the expected results, he decided to speak out in public. He announced the paper "Towiańszczyzna wystawiona i aneksami objaśniona" [Towiańszczyzna Exposed and Explained with Annexes], in which he presented the history of the creation of the sect and criticised not only Towiański, but also Mickiewicz. The article is an interpretation of this brochure and presents Witwicki’s attitude to Towianism, as well as his opinion about Towiański himself and Mickiewicz, to whom the poet devotes a lot of attention in this work. The carried out analysis proves that the text is not only a critique of the author of "Biesiada" and his followers.

• Details
• Contents