Antoni Malczewski as a Magnetizer. The Short Story Zdarzenie prawdziwe by Michała Modzelewski in the Context of Literature on Magnetism

Abstract

The article is devoted to a mysterious text by Michał Modzelewski titled Zdarzenie prawdziwe [A Real Event], which describes the course of a magnetic therapy conducted by Antoni Malczewski on Zofia Rucińska, the last life companion of the Volhynian poet. Although the author basically does not challenge the hypothesis of his predecessors, claiming that Malczewski could be the author of the text (perhaps written in French) which was the prototype for Modzelewski’s short story, a careful analysis of Zdarzenie prawdziwe and situating the short story in the broad context of magnetic literature allows to put forward new hypotheses concerning its genesis and provide a better understanding of both the typical and unique character of the history of Zofia Rucińska’s treatment. While some questions remain unanswered, one thing emerges with certainty: despite the literary topos of the passive woman seduced by the cunning magnetizer, it is Zofia Rucińska who turns out to be the active party, destroying all gender stereotypes of that time.