Cossacks in Julius Slovacki’s Work: From Dumka Ukraiñska to Zmija

Authors:

Pages: 44-50

Abstract:

Ukrainian motifs span a significant domain in Julius Slovacki’s poetry. The author’s interest in Ukraine stems, on the one hand, from his family ties with his birthplace of Krzemieniec and, on the other, from the achievements of the so-called Ukrainian School within Polish Romanticism. To this must be added the poet’s fascination with Ukraine’s past and in particular with the history of the Cossacks. As a Romantic poet, he was impressed by the ideals of liberty in the Cossacks’ fight against the Polish establishment as well as against Turks and Tatars. Slovacki adopts an equivocal attitude to Ukraine’s past. This is due to the dual perspective in the poet’s evaluation of the world – partly Polish and partly Ukrainian – which he had been brought up with. The Cossacks’ portrayal in his early writings is axiologically ambivalent. In his texts, the Romantic poet makes use of elements from the historical, literary and folklore traditions.

Keywords:

Julius Slovacki, Polish romanticism, Ukraine, the Cossacks, literary history

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