Teatr fantastyki w "Rękopisie znalezionym w Saragossie" Jana Potockiego

Abstract

The present article analyses the fantasy themes in the Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie by Jan Potocki from the perspective of their theatricality. The Rękopis, traditionally treated as a novel which exposes the belief in supernatural phenomena, appears in the interpretative perspective that was embraced as a work which reveals in a penetrating way complex relations between truth and illusion as well as the facility with which the boundary between these two things may be modified. This problem does not assume merely the forms of epistemological or psychological reflection – also the ways of creating novelistic and theatrical illusion are problematised in this context on a level with the methods of their deconstruction. These observations lead us to a conclusion that against the background of its contemporary novels, the Rękopis constitutes an example of an exceptionally conscious and multi‑faceted use of the convention of fantasy literature.