On Some Selected Slavic Motifs of the Collection Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi by Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki

Abstract

The two-volume collection of Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi (Fables: Ancient Legend and Folk Narratives of Poland and Russia) by Kazimierz Władysław Wójcicki, a writer and popularizer of folk tales, aroused interest in Poland and among lovers of Slavic folk culture. K. W. Wójcicki wrote his book in the 1830s, in an era of strong Slavophile sentiments and under the influence of Polish Romantics from Lviv. The author mentions earlier research by Julian Krzyżanowski, Julian Maślanka, Ryszard Wojciechowski and Violetta Wróblewska concerning the collection Klechdy, starożytne podania i powieści ludu polskiego i Rusi. In fairy tales in the collection by K. W. Wójcicki, apart from motifs and content from the Polish folk tradition, there are elements from other Slavic traditions. The author analyzes the presence of Serbian, Slovak and Ukrainian motifs, pointing to the sources, methods of Polonization and the author’s stylization of Slavic folkloric motifs.