The psychomachia of the Sarmatian Faust : "Mistrz Twardowski" by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski in the context of medieval and early modern morality plays and their literary transformations

Streszcz. po ang. Strona wydawcy: https://www.wuj.pl

The medieval and early modern morality plays took a great part in educating people about the benefits of living a good life and dangers of living a bad one. The psychomachia - a battle between the personified agents of good and evil with the human soul as the stake - was one of the most inspiring elements of such plays. We can find it in subsequent representations of modern drama, e.g. in Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. The aim of the article is to analyze the psychomachia depicted in the 19 -century Polish variation on the Faustian legend - Mistrz Twardowski (Master Twardowski) by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski. The author examines ties between the morality plays, Marlowe’s tragedy, and Kraszewski’s novel, showing similarities and inspirations as well as discussing how and for what purpose they were used in subsequent works of culture.