On Norwid’s poem “Początek broszury politycznej…”

Abstract

This article attempts to interpret the poem “Początek broszury politycznej…” [The Beginning of a Political Pamphlet…] building on readings by J. Puzynina, B. Subko, Z. Trojanowiczowa, and J. Trznadel. In comparison with these earlier interpretations, this article emphasizes to a greater extent the historical context of the poem’s creation, primarily the events related to the January Uprising. To achieve this goal, the poem is read in the light of Norwid’s journalism from that period and interpreted as a polemic with the traditional model of Polish patriotism, which was characterized by the tendency to take actions that were not preceded by reflection and would not take into account possible victims.