Pamiętajcie o ogrodach... : obrazy wsi w Febliku Małgorzaty Musierowicz

Abstract

The present article has the form of an interpretative essay, in which I am writing about the latest novel from the series Jeżycjada — Feblik (2015) by Małgorzata Musierowicz. The eponymous images of the countryside refer to literary and pictorial comments and associations with the real rural landscape uttered by the characters of the book. I pay particular attention to two scenes from the novel: in the open‑air museum in Dziekanowice and by the lake in the forest. There we can find references to the paint‑ ings of Józef Chełmoński, Jacek Malczewski, Julian Fałat, also to the poetry by Adam Mickiewicz, and — indirectly — to the literature of positivism. I term these associations literary and painting filters, which the author of the novel imposes on that which is real. Thanks to these filters we can see how the memory of the characters created by Musie‑ rowicz functions and to what extent their associations are derived from the reality and from artistic fiction. In this article I also emphasize the role of characters’ and the author’s herself fasci‑ nation of literature and art in shaping the tastes of the readers and encouraging them to explore the literary and artistic gardens.