The Opera in J. I. Kraszewski’s Novels of the 18th Century (Under the Saxon Kings)
Summary Poland in the 18th century is generally associated with a period of cultural decline, yet in the history of Europe it is the golden age of the opera. In his cycle of historical novels set in Poland under the Saxon kings Józef Ignacy Kraszewski did not omit the opera, an important cultural feature of the period, and made it a significant factor in the lives of the main characters of Gräfin von Cosel, Brühl, Seven Years’ War, Saxon Remains, The Starosta of Warsaw, and The Virago (Herod-Baba). The first part of the article deals with the documentary aspect of Kraszewski’s fiction, ie. his use of opera references to fill in the picture of the period. It is followed by analyses of his typification techniques, ie. the way he invests his characters, events and narrative interpretations with some typifying or stereotyping formulas. References to the opera are often used in this way. The third part of the article focuses on Brühl, where the opera is an exceptionally rich source of images and ideas for the creation of the fictional world. Most importantly, the opera provides Kraszewski with a model of interpersonal relations – the hidden mechanism of power struggle in the world of politics which he explores in that novel.