Norwid’s Elevation of Tradition

Abstract

In his prose poem Garstka piasku Norwid credits tradition with the role of the differentia specifica of the concept “man”. This article sets out to show that his aim was not to address the problem of the differentia specifica, but to emphasize the importance of tradition for man. Its importance is twofold: (1) by preserving knowledge of what was “in the beginning”, tradition is the most fundamental source of knowledge about reality, including man himself; (2) tradition makes possible man’s “historical resurrection”, which in Norwid’s view is linked with the eschatological resurrection. Norwid’s “elevation of tradition” grew out of the religious currents of Romantic thought, especially the so-called 19th century traditionalism (De Bonald), and of the poet’s own reflections: he sought inspiration in Christianity to interpret all things from the perspective of the whole.