An Academic Discipline at a Crossroads. The Different Approaches to Teaching Literature in Warsaw and in Vilnius in the years 1811‒1830 — an Initial Analysis

Abstract

The article’s goal is to reflect on the perception of literary studies as an academic discipline in the 19th century Poland in the twenties and the thirties. The answer to this question may be found in lectures given in that time period at the University of Warsaw and at Vilnius University. The author analyzes excerpts of works by L. Borowski, E. Słowacki, L. Osiński and K. Brodziński in which they define the object of their studies and extrapolate on their methodological tenets. The analysis concludes with an attempt at defining the foremost tendencies in Polish literary studies of the time period, especially in regards to the relationship between the history of literature, literary theory and literary criticism.