Romanticism of a Triple Borderland. Case study: Jozef Lompa (1797–1863) and his Collection of Silesian Folk Tales

Abstract

The article aims to describe the cultural landscape of the Opole Silesia (Polish: Śląsk Opolski, German: Oppelner Schlesien) in the Romantic period. The description is based on the analysis of the region’s folkloristic narratives, namely folk tales, collected by Jozef Lompa (1797–1863). The title category of a “triple borderland” is explained on the basis of a triadic geopolitical model consisting of three symbolic areas. The first one refers to the cultural patterns of Polish Romanticism with its literary and scientific language. The second relates to “symbolic violence” associated with Prussian cultural policy against Polish identity in Silesia. Both of these areas are associated by the author with the notion of “ethos”, as proposed by Ferdinand Tönnies. Finally, the third area, the Silesian “ethnos” itself, is deeply rooted in tradition and cultural memory. Torn between the first and the second area, it simultaneously acted as an intermediary between them.Bogusław Wajzer – mgr, ur. w Opolu, doktorant w Katedrze Historii Literatury Oświecenia i Romantyzmu na Wydziale Polonistyki UJ, absolwent Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego (filologia polska, specjalność komparatystyka); w latach 2011–2013 członek Senatu tej uczelni.Uniwersytet Jagielloński15917