Renaissance Studies at Polish Universities

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Piotr Wilczek

Renaissance Studies at Polish universities – an overview

While Renaissance Studies in Poland flourished Renaissance in Polish Literature, 1st ed. 1980, in the 1950’s and 1960’s they were at that time 2nd ed. 1987, 3rd ed. 2001). This 700 page mo- inspired and influenced by communist educatio- nograph was used in Polish Studies depart- nal policy. Thus the Renaissance was presumed ments together with Renesans (The Re- to be a ‘secular’ and ‘progressive’ period, lasting naissance) by Jerzy Ziomek (1st ed. 1973, ele- in the Polish context from the latter years of the ven editions until 2012, 553 pages). Since 2005, 15th to the end of the 16th century. It served as however, when the Bologna process was offici- counterpoise to the ‘reactionary’ Middle Ages, ally introduced in Poland (with 3 year BA pro- and to the Age of the Baroque as well, since grams and 2 year MA programs replacing 5 year both were thought to be heavily influenced by MA programs) there has been a tendency in Po- Catholic Piety. From the late 1980s there has lish Studies departments to condense the study been a growing interest in Medieval and especi- of the whole history of literature (from the 12th to ally Baroque literature and even authors pre- the 20th century) to 3 years (new BA) and not 5 viously interested in Renaissance studies (such years (old MA). Thus the study of Renaissance as Janusz Pelc, the most distinguished among literature and culture has been reduced in a sig- them) shifted their interest to Baroque culture. A nificant way. In addition, at many universities major scholarly journal Barok (The Baroque) was traditional courses in the history of literature established in 1994 by literary and art historians; were replaced by „monographic lectures” which many valuable studies devoted to the 17th cen- discussed selected problems of early modern lit- tury have since been published. This interesting erature at a professor’s discretion. context serves as the backdrop to the evolution of Renaissance Studies at Polish universities. A tendency to publish much less extensive Renaissance textbooks has been one note- Most Polish academic scholarship on worthy consequence; the process started as the Renaissance – whether textbooks, book early as in 1987 when the shortened version of chapters or journal articles – especially from the Jerzy Ziomek’s textbook was published: Litera- late 1960s onward was no longer ideological in tura Odrodzenia (Renaissance Literature, War- orientation and was devoted to the most signifi- saw 1987, 290 pages of a pocket book format). cant aspects of the period, especially to litera- From the mid-1990s a few new textbooks were ture. Above all, scholars focused on the Re- published. They were apparently intended to naissance’s most distinguished representative, serve the new educational realities at Polish Stu- Jan Kochanowski, whose life and work was ex- dies departments after the changes introduced tensively discussed in Janusz Pelc’s monograph by the Bologna process: Literatura renesansu w Jan Kochanowski. Szczyt renesansu w literatur- Polsce (Renaissance Literature in Poland) by Ja- ze polskiej (Jan Kochanowski. The Climax of the nusz Pelc (Warsaw 1994, 295 pages), Literatura Piotr Wilczek Renaissance Studies at Polish universities – an overview kunsttexte.de 4/2012 - 2

polskiego renesansu (Polish Renaissance Litera- dents who are usually not interested in studying ture) by Piotr Wilczek (Katowice 2005, 200 pa- pre-20th century literature. Students do not have ges) and Renesans (The Renaissance) by Adam any deep knowledge about literary history when Karpiński (Warszawa 2007, 282 pages). they enroll in a university. Fundamental changes in curricula at the secondary level have done This brief list represents a broader, signi- away with that prospect, there is no longer any ficant trend in recent university teaching of Re- systematic course. Literature is taught in a larger naissance culture. As the author of one of these cultural context, and read in fragments selected textbooks I must admit I was not fully aware of by textbook authors, then winnowed down some the scope and significance of the process un- more by teachers. So there no longer exists derway. When my textbook, Polish Renaissance what was in place when I attended secondary Literature was published in 2005 (the year of in- school in the late 1970’s: an extensive, compul- troducing the BA + MA (3+2 years) Bologna sys- sory school canon of Polish literature, in part fo- tem at Polish universities) a colleague observed cused on the Renaissance. that I was a market-sensitive author since I had predicted the students’ need for a smaller, less It’s worth noting that Polish Renaissance extensive book on Renaissance literature. This literature was bilingual. Latin is the language of was not my intention. And yet clearly, in my ca- some of the best works of Polish literature. It is pacity as an associate professor teaching clas- also worth noting that Latin is no longer studied ses on early modern literature, I had caught on in secondary schools and is no longer compul- that students needed less extensive and more sory in most Polish Studies departments. Yet readable textbooks to prepare for their exams. even when Polish Studies demanded two years The textbooks which were still compulsory in of Latin at the university level, the requirement 2005 at the University of Silesia in Katowice was in no way connected with the study of Re- where I was then teaching were the following: naissance literature which was taught during the Średniowiecze (The Middle Ages, 908 pages) by first year of studies. For that reason at least half Teresa Michałowska, Renesans (The Re- of the Renaissance heritage was available only naissance, 553 pages) by Jerzy Ziomek and Ba- in translations from Latin. And the translated ver- rok (The Baroque, 742 pages) by Czeslaw Her- sions were usually very bad. Even the poetry of nas. Altogether they constituted 2203 (!) pages Jan Kochanowski (who wrote more than half of of a large format. It was unrealistic to use them his poems in Latin) could not be fully enjoyed by as the only textbooks, especially because the students of the Renaissance. So it is not surpri- students were obliged to read for a two semes- sing that in 2012 the only university program in ter course of early modern literary history not Renaissance literature in Poland is a two year only textbooks but also about one hundred (!) li- MA program „Renaissance Literature and Cul- terary primary sources from Medieval, Re- ture” initiated a few years ago in the Classics naissance and Baroque literature. These were Department of the University of Warsaw. It is de- not drawn only from Polish culture, but from all voted, however, mainly to European literature of Europe. and culture of the period; there is no specific fo- cus on Poland or for that matter Central Europe. Nowadays the study of Renaissance lite- A series of books, collectively entitled The Re- rature at Polish Departments is in crisis. Univer- naissance Library, is being published as a part sity curricula are designed according to the new of the program, and four volumes of translations theoretical tendencies and are formulated under with introductions have already been printed or growing influence of modern literature depart- are forthcoming: Humanist Lives of Ancient Phi- ments in accordance with the demands of stu- losophers, Travel Writings by Francesco Petrar- Piotr Wilczek Renaissance Studies at Polish universities – an overview kunsttexte.de 4/2012 - 3

ca, On Famous Women by Giovanni Boccaccio sor Michael J. Mikos of the University of Wis- and On the Donation of Constantine by Lorenzo consin-Milwaukee. His Polish Renaissance Lit- Valla. erature. An Anthology (Columbus, Ohio 1995) is the most comprehensive anthology of Polish Re- The only academic centre in Poland naissance literature in English translation. I must, which seriously develops Renaissance studies however, add the caveat that this does not associated with the heritage of Polish literature mean that at Wisconsin or any other Slavic De- is the Jagiellonian University, thanks to the partment in America Polish Renaissance litera- efforts of Professor Andrzej Borowski and his ture is studied in greater detail. The only literary pupils. Andrzej Borowski also published in 1992 work of the Polish Renaissance more widely a textbook entitled Renesans (The Renaissance), known in the English speaking academic world devoted to the history, social life, art and culture is a slim volume of Treny (Laments) by Jan of the European Renaissance (Warsaw 1992, Kochanowski. The Laments became especially 133 pages of the Introduction and 177 pages of famous after 1995 when the translation of a Har- an anthology of primary and secondary sources, vard professor, Stanislaw Baranczak, and a No- Polish and European). This is until now the only bel Prize winner, Seamus Heaney, was publis- general overview of all aspects of European hed by Faber and Faber. There are a few other Renaissance culture designed for a general translations of the whole volume of Laments – reader. Thanks to Borowski and his mentor, the by Dorothea Prall Radin (1928), Michael J. Mikos late Professor Tadeusz Ulewicz, there has (1995), Adam Czerniawski (1996, 2001) and Bar- always been at the Polish Studies Department of ry Keane (2001). the Jagiellonian University strong emphasis on teaching Latin and using it for research on Polish The evolution of Renaissance Studies at Neo-Latin literature. Many MA and PhD theses Polish universities from the 1950‘s and 1960‘s have been devoted to Renaissance literature in when it was a flourishing field that in due time Latin and Polish; there is a very active Centre for also brought forth two later fundamental text- Renaissance Studies coordinated by Dr. books, Ziomek’s The Renaissance in 1973 and Grazyna Urban-Godziek and it has organized Pelc’s Jan Kochanowski in 1980 to the situation numerous seminars, public lectures and at the beginning of the 21st century when Re- conferences. The results of this research are naissance studies have become an elitist enter- published in peer-reviewed journals, Terminus prise could make an interesting, informative most prominently. An interesting result of the case study. Contemporary scholarship is more work of this community of scholars is the concentrated on literature written in Latin and internet Library of Old Polish and Neo-Latin has become a part of the world movement of Literature with a significant number of sources Neo-Latin studies but with no deep roots in Po- and translations published online lish Studies departments and with rather mode- (http://neolatina.bj.uj.edu.pl). rate interest in Classics Departments. Re- naissance literature in Polish is now represented Another professional internet site devo- mainly by Jan Kochanowski (c. 1530-1584) and ted to early modern sources, including Re- by Mikołaj Rej (1505-1569), who wrote in the naissance literature (with some English translati- vernacular exclusively. They, along with a num- ons), is Staropolska Online (Old Polish Literature ber of lesser acclaimed authors, are all much Online: http://staropolska.pl) established by Pro- less important for the new generations of Polish fessor Roman Mazurkiewicz of the Pedagogical scholars and students. This tendency seems to University in Krakow. Most of the English trans- be irreversible. lations published there were authored by Profes- Piotr Wilczek Renaissance Studies at Polish universities – an overview kunsttexte.de 4/2012 - 4

Author Piotr Wilczek is Professor at the Faculty of „Ar- tes Liberales“, University of Warsaw. His research interests include Renaissance and Refor- mation literature and problems of literary translation. Personal website: www.al.uw.edu.pl/en- 165

Title Piotr Wilczek, Renaissance Studies at Polish universities – an overview, in: Teaching the Renaissance III, ed. by Angela Dreßen and Susanne Gramatzki, in: kunsttexte.de, Nr. 4, 2012 (4 pages), www.kunsttexte.de.