Gotyk wyobrażony. O francuskich katedrach w listach Stanisława Wyspiańskiego

Abstract

The imaginary Gothic. French cathedrals in Stanisław Wyspiański’s letters

The article focuses on the role of imagination in Stanisław Wyspiański’s perception of the Gothic, which can be read out of his “French” letters to Lucjan Rydel, 19th-century poet and dramatist. During his journey to France in 1890, Wyspiański admires some Gothic cathedrals i.e. Chartres, Reims, Rouen, Amiens and personifies them metaphorically. The cathedral is a product of the imagination, she turns into amonumental theatrical stage, and its sculptures become dramatis personae of the play.