„A thing like which there is no other in all our literature”. Quidamand the Epic Traditions. Preliminaries

Abstract

Norwid's epic poems were largely written and remained outside the main trends of the time and in fact constituted the last major link in the development of the genre. Quidam is neither a novel, an epic, a didactic poem, nor a poetic novel as these genres are normally understood; it incorporates various genres, subordinating them to the dominant concept of a realistic epic poem dealing with historical topics.