Customs and culture in Poland under the last Saxon king : the major texts of Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III, Description of customs during the reign of August III, by Jędrzej Kitowicz, 1728-1804

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Customs and culture in Poland under the last Saxon king : the major texts of Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III, Description of customs during the reign of August III, by Jędrzej Kitowicz, 1728-1804

translated and with a preface and commentary by Oscar E. Swan

Central European University Press, 2019

  • : hardcover

Available at  / 1 libraries

Search this Book/Journal

Note

Translation of: Opis obyczajów i zwyczajów za panowania Augusta III

Includes bibliographical reference and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Jedrzej Kitowicz was a parish priest in central Poland with a military and worldly past. In his later years, after putting the affairs of his parish in order, he composed a colorful chronicle of all aspects and walks of life under King August III. He seems to have written mostly from memory, creating in the process the most complete record that exists of society in eighteenth-century Poland. A man with omnivorous tastes, a keen sense of observation, and a wry-at times bawdy-sense of humor, Kitowicz's realistic and robust literary technique has been compared in its earthiness and evocativeness to Flemish genre painting. A noteworthy example of eighteenth-century writing and narrative talent, his Opis reveals an astounding visual memory and a modern ethnographer's eye for material culture. The present book consists of fifty-one chapters, including all of the most celebrated ones, from Father Kitowicz's Opis, complete with a comprehensive introduction. Topics include religious beliefs, customs and institutions, child-rearing, education, the judiciary and the military. Particularly vivid are the descriptions of the lives of the nobility, ranging from cooking through men's and women's wear to household entertainments and drinking habits. A commentary by the editor introduces each chapter.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface. Glossary of Commonly Used Terms Jedrzej Kitowicz: To the Reader I. Religious Beliefs and Institutions of Piety 1. Religious Denominations in Poland 2. On Piety 3. The Hospital of the Baby Jesus 4. The Maiden Canonesses II. Religious Customs and Ceremonies 5. Manger Scenes 6. Floral Sunday 7. Ash Wednesday. Dark Matins 8. The Passion Service and the Flagellants 9. Easter Processions and the Entombment Ceremony 10. The Resurrection Procession and Corpus Christi Procession 11. Easter Monday and St. John's Eve III. Child-Rearing and Early Education 12. Child-Rearing 13. The Education of Children Past the Age of Seven 14. Public Schools 15. On Student Privileges 16. How Dabrowski Lost His Head IV. Legislature and the Judiciary 17. On the Sejms 18. Eating and Drinking at the Sejmiks. Vetting Delegates 19. The Marshal's Courts 20. On Torture 21. The Crown Tribunals 22. The Singlesticks Circle 23. Deputival Honors and Parades 24. The Conclusion of the Tribunals 25. The Radom Commission V. The Military 26. The Crown Foot Guard 27. The Company Circle 28. The Company Deputation for Tax Collection 29. The March of the Hussar and Armored Companies 30. Foreign-Style Regiments 31. The Hetmans 32. The Sich and the Haidamaks 33. On Orders VI. Lives and Entertainments of the Nobility 34. Old-Fashioned Cookery 35. New-Fashioned Cookery 36. Noble Tables and Banquets 37. On the Potato 38. Of Beds and Bedding 39. On Noble Palaces and Homes 40. On Costume or Dress 41. Women's Wear: Headgear, Mantles, and Hoop Skirts 42. Of Snuff and Snuff Boxes 43. Of Bags and Watches, Rings and Pins 44. Household Entertainments 45. Of Carnivals and Kuligs 46. Masked Balls 47. Of Drinks and Drinking 48. On the More Famous Drunkards 49. Of Carriages and Conveyances 50. Public Convocations VII. Peasant Life 51. On Peasant Customs Appendix: Reading Kitowicz in Context Appendix: List of Texts Not Included

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

Page Top