Wcielenie czy maska? O dynamice ontycznej świata przedstawionego w twórczości literackiej i myśli teoretycznej Brunona Schulza

Abstract

The essay entitled “Mask or Incarnation? On the Ontic Dynamics of the Fictional Universe in the Works and Theories of Bruno Schulz” is an attempt to look at the literature of Bruno Schulz as an entity profoundly connected with his worldview and engaged in a complex interaction with reality. Determining the nature of this interaction constitutes another facet of this essay’s aim. Two interpretations of this twofold influence are considered – one sees it as an operation of masking, while the other perceives it as an act of manifestation or incarnation. The contemplation of the subject matter takes the form of a discussion with Schulz’s literary and theoretical texts, and is supported by analyses performed by schulzologists and by elements from semiotic and mythological theories. With the help of these tools, an interplay of the categories of “mask” and “incarnation” is defined as permeating Schulz’s works. It is only at the level of his understanding of mythology that the category of incarnation triumphs.