Books by Sebastian Borowicz
The result of interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists in the field of humanities, who cons... more The result of interdisciplinary collaboration of specialists in the field of humanities, who consider the technologisation of education as one of the key challenges of modern times, took the shape of a book titled: Technopaideia. Advanced technologies in humanistic education. The research leading to this publication was conducted at the Centre for Multimodal Educational and Cultural Research at the Jagiellonian University. The book explores the role of multimodality and the impact of advanced technologies and digital environments on school and academic didactics. The authors: philosophers, cultural and literary scholars, media experts, art historians, critics and artists not only offer diagnosis of the current state of research on the use of increasingly sophisticated technological tools, but also endeavour to create a multimodal module for a novel cultural education. This module will serve as a crucial bridge between the realms of technoscience and humanitas, preventing the latter from becoming overly scientific.
The term technopaideia, developed at the OMBEiK, is a central concept in the proposed educational model. One element of the term emphasises the importance of techne, the reflective and non-intrusive integration of advanced technologies and elements of the STEM model into the teaching of humanities subjects. Other aspect goes beyond traditional education, as paideia in this approach involves introducing individuals to a new community and social dynamics. It fosters interaction in the spirit of solidarity, skilful sharing and the use of knowledge drawn from different disciplines. Such a multimodal, multi-perspective humanities education combines a performative approach with theoretical reflection fitted in the cognitive framework inherent in the humanities, characterised by criticality and interpretation. The approach enables students to expand their traditional interpretive skills to include multimodality, polysensitivity, agency and embodied thinking. These elements are particularly relevant to contemporary literature and art, which involve acts of kinesthetics and spatiality. Finally, the proposed education model aims to build a transversal mindset capable of navigating seamlessly between different modalities, disciplines and discourses. Its goal is to break down the barriers that separate science and art, making it possible for individuals to exist consciously and critically in various worlds and technoworlds.
The book deals with an extremely important fragment of ancient Greek culture (9 th-4 th centuries... more The book deals with an extremely important fragment of ancient Greek culture (9 th-4 th centuries BCE) in which not only things were transformed into images, images into ideas, but iconicity, hitherto a form of interactivity, became visuality. The analysis of this complex process which occurs at the intersection of research areas such as anthropology of things and anthropology of images is the main objective undertaken in this study. The relationship between things, iconicity, imagery and visuality is a specific, yet paradoxically little recognized feature of ancient Greek culture that determines the entire Euro-Atlantic world that followed. The research I am undertaking is positioned in the specific area of tangency of things, images, and meanings; it is oriented not so much towards monument but rather their cultural habitats. They are analyzed above all from the perspective of philosophy of culture and anthropological history, which tells the story of how much human thinking and perception change, and how little the very production and visual forms of things themselves change. I treat iconicity as a non-obvious phenomenon that is not permanently associated with imagery and visuality, acts of representation, or making things visible. In Smeared reliefs the name of Fidias is mentioned only once. His totemic works were left out. In the case of Polyclet, the figure of Dorifors becomes not so much an object of analysis in the field of art history, iconography or aesthetics, but a pretext for discussing the entanglement of the iconic dimension of the canon in social games of exchange. I avoid approaching iconic production as a special type of activity such as art. For issues related to iconicity, imagery, and visuality, a small statue of Mantiklos, a scene on an amphora from Eleusis by an unknown painter, or anonymous relief pitos from Mykonos turn out to be much more important than monumental chryselephantines. Thus, it is a kind of cultural history without names, or at least one that tries to avoid the attributionism typical for classical archaeology. This book is also an attempt to "step out of the museum", out of the cultural space perceived as an apothēkēa "repository" of monuments. I try to bring the ancient Greek culture closer not so much through physical objects, but rather through processes involved in their production and use. This is mainly the result of the concept of culture that I have adopted, i.e. that it is not a collection of things but rather a set of competencies and skills formed under the influence of various social interactions as well as a way of processing information maintained and transmitted within a specific community. Conceptual Apparatus Iconic facts or artefacts I use the term iconic fact (artefact), thus avoiding the notion of an image, plastic object, or work of art that is a product of metaphysical thinking. Unlike archaeological artefacts (most often interpreted as finished objects having measurable physical properties and a practicaltechnical function or purpose), artefacts (e.g. agalmata, anathēmata, andriantes, korai) are not only objects, but also activities, practices, and social games associated with them, as well as their worldview motivations. Such an understanding of iconic facts as complex entities is related to the notion of transduction by Gilbert Simondon, affordances by James J. Gibson, assemblages by Manuel DeLanda, image-objet by Jérôme Baschet, or image-act by Horst Bredekamp. Eikotopias Eikotopias are dynamic "artefact places" and their cultural habitats. The place in this case, however, is not a space, a capacity, but rather a mode of production and use of the iconic. Eikotopias are a concept related to Theodor Adorno constellations, in which learning about objects always involves learning the processes these objects have accumulated in themselves. Their status is thus constantly (re)constructed by the variability of human thinking. Eikonomy Eikonomy is a cultural space of exchange that encompasses those games and social practices whose essential element is iconicity; thus, it is not the modality of artefacts as such, but rather their cultural configurations that are being studied. Heidegger's handiness (Zuhandenheit), the state of being an object for something (Um-zu) is also a part of the space of culture understood actionally. Therein iconic facts are perceived agentively, as tools, things at hand or at one's disposal. The culture of chōros Chōros culture is the culture of bonding and making something common, that is achieved through spontaneous and practical thinking. An element of that kind of thinking is, first of all, measuring that is construed as merging and likening, admiringit is the Telemachian attitude and orientation to states of things and actions (the verbness of culture). The culture of diakrisis Diakrisis culture is the culture of separation that develops within the framework of metaphysical and theoretical thinking. It is associated with Socrates' discursive attitude, the orientation toward instrumentalization of the world, and reification (the nounness of culture). Visual reduction Visual reduction is a state in which iconic elements are subordinate with regard to other elements, non-iconic factors and aims. Such reduction is based on the manipulation of iconicity: displaying and concealing, acting and affecting.
Międzyliteartura jest tomem zbiorowym dedykowanym pamięci Profesor Anny Pilch, ale ma niewiele ws... more Międzyliteartura jest tomem zbiorowym dedykowanym pamięci Profesor Anny Pilch, ale ma niewiele wspólnego z klasyczną formą, jaką jest Festschrift. (…) Teksty odznaczają się wysokimi walorami poznawczymi; są nie tylko wyrazem hołdu i uznania, ale łączy je równocześnie nić przyjaźni oparta na wspólnych zainteresowaniach, na podobnym sposobie myślenia i współodczuwania świata, na solidnych zasadach etycznych stanowiących podstawę lektury.
/Z recenzji prof. dra hab. Adama Dziadka/
Stawiając nas przed obrazami wielkich mistrzów, Anna Pilch udzieliła nam piękniej i wartościowej lekcji etyki i humanizmu. Dzięki niej nasza lektura świata stawała się nie tylko wędrówką przez arkana estetyki, ale także przez przestrzenie ludzkiej egzystencji. W kształcie tej książki zwracamy więc to, czego sami w rozmowach z Anną Pilch i z jej prac nauczyliśmy się o człowieku w relacji do poezji i malarstwa. Dialog stał się tu uniwersalnym narzędziem odnajdywania i odkrywania człowieka przez literaturę, sztukę i wreszcie edukację polonistyczną pojmowaną możliwie szeroko jako kształtowanie międzyludzkiej więzi.
Międzyliteratura tworzy przestrzeń interdyscyplinarności, wielowymiarowości, rozmów i spotkań, negocjowania znaczeń, nieustającej gry sztuk i ze sztuką. Jest tym, co rozpościera się między teorią a interpretacją, intuicją a krytyką, na pograniczach humanistyki, między metodą a praktyką. Równolegle stanowi ona przestrzeń dialogu między odbiorcą a tekstem, między patrzeniem i obserwacją a próbą rozsmakowania nas w szczegółach i detalach, to znaczy między czytaniem, pisaniem a poszukiwaniem i wytwarzaniem sensu. W końcu zaś nieustannym balansowaniem między wizualnością a tekstualnością.
/Redaktorzy tomu/
Reliefy rozmazane to dzieło nowa torskie i kompletne, w którym odnajdziemy fascynującą opowieść o... more Reliefy rozmazane to dzieło nowa torskie i kompletne, w którym odnajdziemy fascynującą opowieść o wizualnym przełomie, jaki dokonał się w kulturze archaicznych Greków. Autor ukazuje nam ikoniczność w sposób dla badacza kultur starożytnych niezwykły i oryginalny. Śmiałość ta jest wielką zaletą książki, gdyż pozwala zerwać zasłonę oczywistości z naszych spekularnych przyzwyczajeń i interpretacyjnych nawyków dotyczących greckich obrazów. To również studium napisane na styku dwóch wielkich antropologicznych tradycji: frankofońskiej oraz anglosaskiej, łączące tym samym interpretacyjną świeżość z metodologiczną dyscypliną. Z pewnością będzie nie tylko cennym przewodnikiem dla starożytników, ale dzięki swej erudycyjności może także stanowić niewyczerpane źródło inspiracji dla szeroko rozumianych przedstawicieli nauk humanistycznych". Z recenzji dr. hab. Gościwita Malinowskiego, prof. UWr Książka ta zwraca się ku wąskiemu, lecz niezwykle ważnemu wycinkowi kultury dawnej Grecji (IX-IV w. przed Chr.), w którym nie tylko rzeczy zostały przekształcone w obrazy, obrazy w pojęcia, ale także ikoniczność, będąca dotąd formą oddziaływania, stała się wizualnością. Analiza tego procesu to cała "archeologiczna manufaktura" ukierunkowana nie tyle na zabytki, ile na ich kulturowe siedliska -eikotopie. Paradoksalnie bohaterami tej publikacji nie są więc wyłącznie tytułowe rzeczy i obrazy -rzeczowniki, ale również zespolone z nimi działania, praktyki i gry społeczne oraz ich światopoglądowe motywacje.
Papers by Sebastian Borowicz
The article proposes an alternative approach to incorporating Homer's poems into the Polish langu... more The article proposes an alternative approach to incorporating Homer's poems into the Polish language curriculum, moving away from the traditional focus on printed texts and reading strategies. It presents seven activities that teachers can use to introduce students to the nuances of oral literature, moving beyond conventional literacy frameworks. This method also adapts to postmodern, technology-driven environments by updating non-reading reception strategies, drawing unexpected parallels with archaic times, and fostering a deeper connection to the world of Homer.
Roczniki Humanistyczne, 2024
The article explores the concept of sympotic poetics in European culture as a distinctive form of... more The article explores the concept of sympotic poetics in European culture as a distinctive form of discourse. This tradition originated in the Greek civilisation during the archaic period as a technique for socialisation within aristocratic culture and subsequently developed in Roman culture during the imperial period. Sympotic poetics thrived in medieval and modern Europe, where new forms of literary games, rooted in the intellectual traditions of antiquity, emerged. The article examines the beginnings of scholarly literary discussion and reviews selected examples of sympotic discussion practices in European culture.
Computers in the Schools, 2023
The article deals with the role and impact of advanced technologies on literary education. In the... more The article deals with the role and impact of advanced technologies on literary education. In the beginning, the author emphasizes fundamentally different cognitive objectives of empirical science and humanities. In the authors' opinion, the current scientification of the humanities leads to the domination of a single type of truth based on empiricism promoted in schools as a part of the so-called STEM education. A visible manifestation of this process is the labification of school learning methods. The laboratory metaphor may, however, be destructive for the humanities. Thereafter, the author outlines how advanced technologies can be used to teach literature according to the specificity of the cognitive model of philological studies. Through the example of an ongoing research project he shows how using cultural heritage sites and embedded education can enhance the process of studying literature, and thus help students develop new interpretative pathways and cognitive skills based on elements typical for digital environments and augmented reality. The scientification of humanities We live in times for which the turbulent age of Aristotle makes a good analogy. We have already faced the world of innovative technologies as Plato did with writing. Also, different ontologies have been established to explain the status of new new media (Paul Levinson's term). Medienphilosophie has also taken its place in the hierarchy of rapidly developing fields of contemporary science. We are now at the stage of profound explanation, analysis, and search for the humanistic dimension of technology, like Aristotle, rather than merely becoming accustomed to the possibilities offered by the state of permanent technological breakthrough. The Web, virtual reality, metaverse, apps, and social networks are now becoming embedded in our lives almost simultaneously with acquisition of language skills. We live in augmented reality without fully realizing the uniqueness of this state of technological endowment and its consequences for Q6 Q1
Przegląd Religioznawczy, 2023
The article deals with the meaning and function of the figure of an old, drunken, and foolish wom... more The article deals with the meaning and function of the figure of an old, drunken, and foolish woman in the writings of St. John Chrysostom. The issue is discussed historical, social, cultural, theological, and rhetorical levels. My point of departure is the figure of old, drunken hag making amulets and performing healings. Subsequently, I move to the analysis of wine and madness significance, as well as their theological dimension in early Christian authors. This consequently enables me to reconstruct the rhetorical function of the figure of anus ebria et delirans in the homilies of St John Chrysostom, including its role as the antithesis of Christ and personification of the pagan world.
„Etudes et Travaux” XX , 2005
Littera Antiqua, 2010
The article deals with some exceptional aspects of the ancient eschatological imagery
and its co... more The article deals with some exceptional aspects of the ancient eschatological imagery
and its conceptual connection with the general idea of the Greek and Roman Underworld. The first part of the analysis, based on Classical literature sources and visual arts (geniale imagines), concerns a very peculiar notion of methe aionios, which should be referred to the popular mode of conceiving death and afterlife among Greek and Roman society. The Greek mind used to understand the other world through the act of mimesis. Hence, common eschatological beliefs concerning human post mortem condition were conceptualized via ideas and metaphors such as eternal happiness, felicity and abundance. These concepts found its mirror image in extraordinary forms of artistic and literary expression like numerous convivial and banqueting scenes represented on funeral monuments (Totenmahl reliefs) or described in literary sources (mostly epigrams and comedies). They usually indicated a comfortable stay of a deceased person in the afterlife (eschatological sense) or had strictly consolatory character for living people (carpe diem; quasi-eschatological sense). Frequently, however, it is impossible to differentiate between these two opposite functions of such images. Nevertheless, one of the most significant elements of the above mentioned beliefs was the concept of the “eternal inebriation” understood as a very special state of blissful existence after death. This odd idea simultaneously illustrates the mechanism in displaying abstract notions connected with the sphere of the Greek and Roman death. In the second part of the analysis, two representations of the anus ebria type were placed in the context of the idea of methe aionios. The first one is the famous monumental figure of old drunken woman. The second one is small terracotta figurine of old nurse holding lagynos and a child Dionysus from the ex-Lanckoroński collection. The image of graus oinophoros created out of antiideas, cliches that violate or distinctly undermine the cultural taboo might be considered here as the eschatological liberation figure as well as one of the most characteristic signs of the ”eschatology of inebriation”.
Teksty Drugie, 2009
Sebastian BOROWICZ Jagiellonian University (Kraków) Image As the Act of Consolation. Some Remarks... more Sebastian BOROWICZ Jagiellonian University (Kraków) Image As the Act of Consolation. Some Remarks on the Metaphor of Passage in the Classical Literature The article deals with the problem of the Greek consciousness’ limited ability to image certain abstract notions: abysm/chasm, death and the Underworld in the Classical period. The first part of the analysis, based on Greek classical literature sources, concerns the general problem of categorization and conceptualization of the idea of the Underworld which human consciousness was trying to seize by means of a metaphor „to die is to pass”. The author argues that the ability of the human mind (gnome) to understand abstract notions metaphorically limits the idea of the Underworld simultaneously; it is a reversed reflection of the senses experienced during reality, which creates the anti-world of human visions of passage into a different space. Only the notion of chasm does not have its mirror image; however, it is still perceived as a ...
Międzyliteratura jako przestrzeń dialogu. Studia dedykowane pamięci Profesor Anny Pilch, Wydawnictwo UJ, Seria Narracje w Edukacji, 2022
Abstract
What one can see in an ancient Greek painting? It is not an obvious question, because... more Abstract
What one can see in an ancient Greek painting? It is not an obvious question, because the way we interpret images from the distant past is based on the modern model of perception, including the notion of space understood as the capacity and the place for things, and the surface treated as an extension. This three-dimensional, mathematical model is thus in a way imposed onto the old paintings by us. Similarly, we transform Greek paintings into images, often not realising that the category of representation is a kind of intellectual invention of Plato’s epoch. This article is an attempt to go beyond the mentioned anachronistic categories of interpretation – to look at the painted worlds through the eyes of a Greek of the pre-metaphysical era. To this end, the particular perceptual strategy of Odysseus is evoked, who, arriving in unknown lands, climbs the highest cliff or steep hill and looks around “in a place with a view” in order to be able to see something. This is why I propose to treat the bulging surface of the Greek vase in terms of a Homeric place of prominence and visibility. It allows us to see something that cannot be seen in any other place. The surface of a Greek vase, like that Homeric “place with a view”, establishes a view and a closeup – it is at the same time a close-up with something distant in time and space, a kind of experience close to Heidegger’s Entfernung.
Międzyliteratura jako przestrzeń dialogu. Studia dedykowane pamięci Profesor Anny Pilch, red. A. Włodarczyk, S. Borowicz, K. Wawer, Seria Narracje w Edukacji, Wydawnictwo UJ: Kraków
All rights reserved Niniejsza książka stanowi utwór chroniony na podstawie ustawy o prawie autors... more All rights reserved Niniejsza książka stanowi utwór chroniony na podstawie ustawy o prawie autorskim i prawach pokrewnych. Prawami do tego utworu dysponuje Wydawca-Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Bez zgody Wydawcy niedopuszczalne jest kopiowanie, rozpowszechnianie lub inne korzystanie z niniejszej książki w całości lub z jej fragmentów z wyjątkiem dozwolonego użytku osobistego lub publicznego.
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Books by Sebastian Borowicz
The term technopaideia, developed at the OMBEiK, is a central concept in the proposed educational model. One element of the term emphasises the importance of techne, the reflective and non-intrusive integration of advanced technologies and elements of the STEM model into the teaching of humanities subjects. Other aspect goes beyond traditional education, as paideia in this approach involves introducing individuals to a new community and social dynamics. It fosters interaction in the spirit of solidarity, skilful sharing and the use of knowledge drawn from different disciplines. Such a multimodal, multi-perspective humanities education combines a performative approach with theoretical reflection fitted in the cognitive framework inherent in the humanities, characterised by criticality and interpretation. The approach enables students to expand their traditional interpretive skills to include multimodality, polysensitivity, agency and embodied thinking. These elements are particularly relevant to contemporary literature and art, which involve acts of kinesthetics and spatiality. Finally, the proposed education model aims to build a transversal mindset capable of navigating seamlessly between different modalities, disciplines and discourses. Its goal is to break down the barriers that separate science and art, making it possible for individuals to exist consciously and critically in various worlds and technoworlds.
/Z recenzji prof. dra hab. Adama Dziadka/
Stawiając nas przed obrazami wielkich mistrzów, Anna Pilch udzieliła nam piękniej i wartościowej lekcji etyki i humanizmu. Dzięki niej nasza lektura świata stawała się nie tylko wędrówką przez arkana estetyki, ale także przez przestrzenie ludzkiej egzystencji. W kształcie tej książki zwracamy więc to, czego sami w rozmowach z Anną Pilch i z jej prac nauczyliśmy się o człowieku w relacji do poezji i malarstwa. Dialog stał się tu uniwersalnym narzędziem odnajdywania i odkrywania człowieka przez literaturę, sztukę i wreszcie edukację polonistyczną pojmowaną możliwie szeroko jako kształtowanie międzyludzkiej więzi.
Międzyliteratura tworzy przestrzeń interdyscyplinarności, wielowymiarowości, rozmów i spotkań, negocjowania znaczeń, nieustającej gry sztuk i ze sztuką. Jest tym, co rozpościera się między teorią a interpretacją, intuicją a krytyką, na pograniczach humanistyki, między metodą a praktyką. Równolegle stanowi ona przestrzeń dialogu między odbiorcą a tekstem, między patrzeniem i obserwacją a próbą rozsmakowania nas w szczegółach i detalach, to znaczy między czytaniem, pisaniem a poszukiwaniem i wytwarzaniem sensu. W końcu zaś nieustannym balansowaniem między wizualnością a tekstualnością.
/Redaktorzy tomu/
Papers by Sebastian Borowicz
and its conceptual connection with the general idea of the Greek and Roman Underworld. The first part of the analysis, based on Classical literature sources and visual arts (geniale imagines), concerns a very peculiar notion of methe aionios, which should be referred to the popular mode of conceiving death and afterlife among Greek and Roman society. The Greek mind used to understand the other world through the act of mimesis. Hence, common eschatological beliefs concerning human post mortem condition were conceptualized via ideas and metaphors such as eternal happiness, felicity and abundance. These concepts found its mirror image in extraordinary forms of artistic and literary expression like numerous convivial and banqueting scenes represented on funeral monuments (Totenmahl reliefs) or described in literary sources (mostly epigrams and comedies). They usually indicated a comfortable stay of a deceased person in the afterlife (eschatological sense) or had strictly consolatory character for living people (carpe diem; quasi-eschatological sense). Frequently, however, it is impossible to differentiate between these two opposite functions of such images. Nevertheless, one of the most significant elements of the above mentioned beliefs was the concept of the “eternal inebriation” understood as a very special state of blissful existence after death. This odd idea simultaneously illustrates the mechanism in displaying abstract notions connected with the sphere of the Greek and Roman death. In the second part of the analysis, two representations of the anus ebria type were placed in the context of the idea of methe aionios. The first one is the famous monumental figure of old drunken woman. The second one is small terracotta figurine of old nurse holding lagynos and a child Dionysus from the ex-Lanckoroński collection. The image of graus oinophoros created out of antiideas, cliches that violate or distinctly undermine the cultural taboo might be considered here as the eschatological liberation figure as well as one of the most characteristic signs of the ”eschatology of inebriation”.
What one can see in an ancient Greek painting? It is not an obvious question, because the way we interpret images from the distant past is based on the modern model of perception, including the notion of space understood as the capacity and the place for things, and the surface treated as an extension. This three-dimensional, mathematical model is thus in a way imposed onto the old paintings by us. Similarly, we transform Greek paintings into images, often not realising that the category of representation is a kind of intellectual invention of Plato’s epoch. This article is an attempt to go beyond the mentioned anachronistic categories of interpretation – to look at the painted worlds through the eyes of a Greek of the pre-metaphysical era. To this end, the particular perceptual strategy of Odysseus is evoked, who, arriving in unknown lands, climbs the highest cliff or steep hill and looks around “in a place with a view” in order to be able to see something. This is why I propose to treat the bulging surface of the Greek vase in terms of a Homeric place of prominence and visibility. It allows us to see something that cannot be seen in any other place. The surface of a Greek vase, like that Homeric “place with a view”, establishes a view and a closeup – it is at the same time a close-up with something distant in time and space, a kind of experience close to Heidegger’s Entfernung.
The term technopaideia, developed at the OMBEiK, is a central concept in the proposed educational model. One element of the term emphasises the importance of techne, the reflective and non-intrusive integration of advanced technologies and elements of the STEM model into the teaching of humanities subjects. Other aspect goes beyond traditional education, as paideia in this approach involves introducing individuals to a new community and social dynamics. It fosters interaction in the spirit of solidarity, skilful sharing and the use of knowledge drawn from different disciplines. Such a multimodal, multi-perspective humanities education combines a performative approach with theoretical reflection fitted in the cognitive framework inherent in the humanities, characterised by criticality and interpretation. The approach enables students to expand their traditional interpretive skills to include multimodality, polysensitivity, agency and embodied thinking. These elements are particularly relevant to contemporary literature and art, which involve acts of kinesthetics and spatiality. Finally, the proposed education model aims to build a transversal mindset capable of navigating seamlessly between different modalities, disciplines and discourses. Its goal is to break down the barriers that separate science and art, making it possible for individuals to exist consciously and critically in various worlds and technoworlds.
/Z recenzji prof. dra hab. Adama Dziadka/
Stawiając nas przed obrazami wielkich mistrzów, Anna Pilch udzieliła nam piękniej i wartościowej lekcji etyki i humanizmu. Dzięki niej nasza lektura świata stawała się nie tylko wędrówką przez arkana estetyki, ale także przez przestrzenie ludzkiej egzystencji. W kształcie tej książki zwracamy więc to, czego sami w rozmowach z Anną Pilch i z jej prac nauczyliśmy się o człowieku w relacji do poezji i malarstwa. Dialog stał się tu uniwersalnym narzędziem odnajdywania i odkrywania człowieka przez literaturę, sztukę i wreszcie edukację polonistyczną pojmowaną możliwie szeroko jako kształtowanie międzyludzkiej więzi.
Międzyliteratura tworzy przestrzeń interdyscyplinarności, wielowymiarowości, rozmów i spotkań, negocjowania znaczeń, nieustającej gry sztuk i ze sztuką. Jest tym, co rozpościera się między teorią a interpretacją, intuicją a krytyką, na pograniczach humanistyki, między metodą a praktyką. Równolegle stanowi ona przestrzeń dialogu między odbiorcą a tekstem, między patrzeniem i obserwacją a próbą rozsmakowania nas w szczegółach i detalach, to znaczy między czytaniem, pisaniem a poszukiwaniem i wytwarzaniem sensu. W końcu zaś nieustannym balansowaniem między wizualnością a tekstualnością.
/Redaktorzy tomu/
and its conceptual connection with the general idea of the Greek and Roman Underworld. The first part of the analysis, based on Classical literature sources and visual arts (geniale imagines), concerns a very peculiar notion of methe aionios, which should be referred to the popular mode of conceiving death and afterlife among Greek and Roman society. The Greek mind used to understand the other world through the act of mimesis. Hence, common eschatological beliefs concerning human post mortem condition were conceptualized via ideas and metaphors such as eternal happiness, felicity and abundance. These concepts found its mirror image in extraordinary forms of artistic and literary expression like numerous convivial and banqueting scenes represented on funeral monuments (Totenmahl reliefs) or described in literary sources (mostly epigrams and comedies). They usually indicated a comfortable stay of a deceased person in the afterlife (eschatological sense) or had strictly consolatory character for living people (carpe diem; quasi-eschatological sense). Frequently, however, it is impossible to differentiate between these two opposite functions of such images. Nevertheless, one of the most significant elements of the above mentioned beliefs was the concept of the “eternal inebriation” understood as a very special state of blissful existence after death. This odd idea simultaneously illustrates the mechanism in displaying abstract notions connected with the sphere of the Greek and Roman death. In the second part of the analysis, two representations of the anus ebria type were placed in the context of the idea of methe aionios. The first one is the famous monumental figure of old drunken woman. The second one is small terracotta figurine of old nurse holding lagynos and a child Dionysus from the ex-Lanckoroński collection. The image of graus oinophoros created out of antiideas, cliches that violate or distinctly undermine the cultural taboo might be considered here as the eschatological liberation figure as well as one of the most characteristic signs of the ”eschatology of inebriation”.
What one can see in an ancient Greek painting? It is not an obvious question, because the way we interpret images from the distant past is based on the modern model of perception, including the notion of space understood as the capacity and the place for things, and the surface treated as an extension. This three-dimensional, mathematical model is thus in a way imposed onto the old paintings by us. Similarly, we transform Greek paintings into images, often not realising that the category of representation is a kind of intellectual invention of Plato’s epoch. This article is an attempt to go beyond the mentioned anachronistic categories of interpretation – to look at the painted worlds through the eyes of a Greek of the pre-metaphysical era. To this end, the particular perceptual strategy of Odysseus is evoked, who, arriving in unknown lands, climbs the highest cliff or steep hill and looks around “in a place with a view” in order to be able to see something. This is why I propose to treat the bulging surface of the Greek vase in terms of a Homeric place of prominence and visibility. It allows us to see something that cannot be seen in any other place. The surface of a Greek vase, like that Homeric “place with a view”, establishes a view and a closeup – it is at the same time a close-up with something distant in time and space, a kind of experience close to Heidegger’s Entfernung.