UKRAINE AS THE NORTH IN ANTONI MALCZEWSKI’S „MARIA”
This essay explores the conceptual dichotomy between literature from the South and literature from the North, first introduced by Madame de Staël in her 1800 seminal work De la littérature (On Literature). Marian Maciejewski was the first to suggest that the opening lines of the second canto of Maria contain a subtle allusion to Baroness de Staël-Holstein’s vision of the European literary landscape. While the author of the paper also considers it likely that Antoni Malczewski was familiar with the work of the Franco-Swiss writer, the focus here is on the distinctive way in which the Polish poet engages with the North–South opposition. This interpretation is situated within the broader context of the then aesthetic debates, the liberalisation and relativisation of aesthetic norms, the rise of modern national identities, and the invention of national traditions. From this perspective, the Volhynian poet’s approach to this construct emerges as both strikingly original and eerily relevant.
