Observations on the Polish crime novel in the 19th century

Abstract

This article is an attempt at describing the conditions which governed the Polish crime novel in the 19th century. The author of this article takes into consideration the context of the West-European crime novel and its literary and cultural models. She also puts emphasis on sociopolitical transformations of the first half of the 19th century in Europe. However, while comparing that situation with conditions which formed Polish criminalfiction, the author shows clear differences concerning the cultural sphere, and the historical-political conditions related to enslavement. The situation of living under annexed territories created numerous restrictions visible, for instance, in literary creation of detective and fictional terms connected with the novel itself – the triumph of justice is much more limited than in the classical crime novel. Polish criminal fiction of this time is associated with the contemporary culture. The creation of this literary genre in Polish literature is not work of one author, but the result of actions of many. Above all, the author of this article sheds light of the connections between Polish crime fiction, politics and history.