Father's Authority in the Mentality of Nineteenth-Century Polish Writers of Fiction

Literature is an important source because it shows the world through the eyes of its contemporaries. In 19th century Polish literature, the question of the father's authority is a very interesting topic. The approach to it evolved over the years and depended on many factors. One of them was the literary era in which the author lived and worked. Specific currents permeated his works at the time. In Romanticism the motifs of the national liberation struggle resounded in the background, and in Positivism the social problems of the time. The biography of each of the artists, especially their childhood, also had a significant influence. This can be seen in Mickiewicz, whose paternal figures were presumably an allusion to his unfulfilled dreams of paternal love. It can be seen in Słowacki, who, raised without a male role model, showed the father as a tragic figure. On the other hand, in the works of Konopnicka and Żeromski we find a positive image of the father, which also directly correlates with the childhood of these artists. The authority of the father may also have evolved over the author's life. This can be seen in Henryk Sienkiewicz, who in his most popular novels created idealized father figures which was supposed to add some color to his gray life of a widower with two children. In the second half of the 19th century, the theme related to the emancipation of women is significantly gaining momentum in literature. This was also reflected in the creation of paternal characters in novels, which is best seen in Eliza Orzeszkowa's “On the Niemen”.