What Discoveries await in the Provinces? Or: A rather unusual thesis novel
Plot, narrative, special effects
The plot construction of Na prowincji is not particularly tainted by the usual problems of thesis novel, perhaps because the story is unusually simple and transparent.[1] There are two parts, each of which ends in catastrophe, while juxtaposing two eras in a woman’s life. It does so by drawing on the imagery of the seasons: the heady spring and summer of her youth and the defeat of her mature years, framed as the autumn and winter of her life. The action is composed through several vivid and contrasting images[2] that are supplemented by the physiognomic portraits of the primary and secondary characters, the protagonists’ letters, and by digressions and commentaries stemming from the auctorial narrative. While the latter device is employed on numerous occasions (almost twenty in fact), and the events lack dynamism, the rather static plot is nevertheless marked by tension thanks to the internal dilemmas experienced by the protagonists. As one critic notes, “the dramatic themes themselves are enough to grip readers.”[3]
In addition to the enthusiastic use of contrast, there are some other interesting aesthetic effects employed in Na prowincji, including the far-reaching psychomachia of Wincunia (something that has divided critics), and the Baroque, allegorical personifications of goodness, conscience, passion and memories, a risky yet intriguing case of Orzeszkowa rooting her prose in classical traditions.[4] Also interesting are the avant-garde and impressionistic visual frames[5], as well as the aesthetically refined finale of the novel. Another notable feature are the episodes involving crows at the beginning and end of the book that are used to starkly contrasting effect, creating a kind of compositional mini-bookend for the novel.[6] Noteworthy, too, are the aestheticized lighting effects. At key moments in the plot, the setting sun forms a recurring motif, giving an impression of quiet landscapes while generating a lyrical or dramatic backdrop to the characters’ internal experiences and corresponding with the lead protagonist approaching the end of her life as well as with the nostalgic aura of the passing of the landowners’ arcadia. The dearth of light accompanying the dying Wincunia evokes the symbolism of solar cults, thus endowing the finale with an enigmatic air.[7] Perhaps less successful are the generalizing epigraphs that are only very vaguely connected with the central message of the novel. Both the epigraph framing the entire work that refers to vanitas and the fleeting nature of human existence, as well as the truistic sentence at the opening of the first part drawn from Benjamin Franklin[8] (there is no epigraph for the second part), are indicative only of selected aspects of the text.
Na prowincji is not and never has been an attractive novel. However, it does stand out among Orzeszkowa’s early works thanks to some of its rather original and somewhat unusual aspects. More than those other novels it anticipates “almost all of the themes she would address in future”[9]: social mores, questions related to the nation and patriotism, psychological and existential questions, philosophical and metaphysical ones. Various episodes, plot strands and figures here also seem to function as the kernel of ideas that would emerge in masterworks such as Dobra pani, Nad Niemnem, Cham, Anastazja, Melancholicy and As Astra. Reworking subjects she had addressed in other works and rehashed “more than was necessary in various plots,”[10] Orzeszkowa nevertheless managed to find in Na prowincji an original way of formulating them. The work certainly offers an interesting contribution to the cultural history of novels. Furthermore, certain universal issues reflected upon in the novel, for example the fact that “young people get married without knowing each other or understanding […] what they want to achieve” (part 2, chapter II) remain relevant today.
Przekład na język angielski: Paul Vickers
Przypisy
- There are, though, some irritating coincidences; the protagonists do not see, they do not hear, they are absent, which means that they do not receive warning signs as events take an unfortunate turn and head towards disaster. What is noticeable, however, is the unpretentious facticity that dominates the plot and narrative. Żmigrodzka has drawn attention to the “simple” plot of the novel (Orzeszkowa…, p. 459).
- This is emphasized in the contrasts of the chapter titles: Rozmyślania Wincuni – Rozmyślania Aleksandra [Wincunia’s reflections – Aleksander’s reflections]; Odrzucony – Opuszczona [Rejected man – Abandoned woman]; Pierwsza wizyta – Ostatnie słowo życia [First visit – Last words]; Szlachcic zagrodowy – Lew parafialny [Farm nobleman – Parochial lion]; Mętna woda – Wierne serce [Muddy waters – Faithful heart].
- E. Zorjan [E. Sedlaczek], Powieści Elizy Orzeszkowej…, no. 1032, p. 241.
- For some, this is an “artistic failure” and “the weakest part of the work” (E. Skorupa, Eliza Orzeszkowa…, p. 285), while for others it is “an original and unrepeatable element” (G. Borkowska, Dialog powieściowy i jego konteksty (Na podstawie twórczości Elizy Orzeszkowej), Wrocław 1988, p. 140). A similar rhetorical flourish already appeared in Ostatnia miłość, albeit without the extensive, allegorical iconography and emblems. It could be argued that they are loaded with kitsch, but they nevertheless contain some interesting elements, such as the image of passion penetrating the woman through her lips by way of a slippery serpent that on the one hand evokes the satanic snake, tempting her to commit an erotic sin by swallowing the forbidden fruit. On the other hand, it sets in motion fairy tale symbolism – like the Snow Queen, she wounds the human soul with a shard of ice in the eye, just as Wincunia is irrevocably poisoned by “swallowing” the flames of desire.
- Narolska has highlighted the painterly nature of the way landscapes are framed (see Narolska, Przestrzeń “upodrzędniona”…, p. 20).
- In the first, the care-free young Aleksander is seen in triumphant mood, hunting birds; in the final pendant, he appears as a fallen, desperate man who in the cawing of cross hears a mocking commentary on his life.
- The heroine of Theodor Fontane’s famous novel Effi Briest (1895) would make a similar departure, “immersing herself” in nature having been broken by the “sin” of passion and marital drama. In Na prowincji there is a rather literal illustration of the motif of the setting sun, which has been explored in an article by Hanna Huszcza-Winnicka (Światło zachodzącego słońca w twórczości Orzeszkowej, “Kobieta Współczesna” 1929, no. 42).
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The motto for the first part is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Although no exact quote matching the Polish version has been found in his writings, they do contain many statements resembling this one, praising the moral and economic value of work. The Polish motto in Na prowincji reads: “Ci, którzy dowodzą, że bez pracy i trudu dojść do czegokolwiek można, podają ludziom trucizną” [Those who claim it is possible to achieve anything without hard work and difficulties are simply poisoning people’s minds.]
The motto epigraph for the entire novel comes from Pieśń Kołodzieja [The wheelwrights’ hymn], a poem by Karol Bołoz Antoniewicz (1807–1852), a Jesuit preacher, folk writer and poet of Armenia origin. He wrote popular didactic and religious texts published between 1828–1899. The poem reads in Polish and a literal translation:Koło goni, koło dzwoni
Aż pęknie i stanie:
Serce boli, myślą goni,
Aż i bić przestanie.Bo przez różne progi, drogi
Kolo się potoczy,
Czyś bogaty, czyś ubogi
Śmierć cię w grób zatoczy.Różne sprychy w mojem kole,
Różne życia chwile:
Różne szczęścia, różne bole
Ucichną w mogile.The wheel chases, the wheel tolls
until it cracks and stops:
The heart hurts, chased by thoughts,
until it too stops beating.Over thresholds and roads,
the wheel rolls,
Whether you’re rich or poor,
Death will push you to the grave.My wheel has different spokes,
there different moments in life;
different joys, different pains,
they will all fall silent in the tomb. - M. Piwińska, Erotyka w powieściach Orzeszkowej, p. 314.
- J. Tynecki, Orzeszkowej efekt obcości…, p. 140. Tynecki describes this using the psychological term “overtraining.”
