Napis (Dec 2022)
Relacje nadawczo-odbiorcze i styl rodzinnej korespondencji dotyczącej zdrady małżeńskiej Zofii z Radziwiłłów Dorohostajskiej
Abstract
The article presents excerpts from the correspondence of Krzysztof Dorohostajski (1562–1615) and Jerzy Radziwiłł (1578–1613), which refer to intimate and embarrassing topics related to sex life. An analysis of the letter from Dorohostajski to his brother-in-law, Jerzy Radziwiłł, in which he informs the latter of his decision to divorce his wife due to her infidelity, allows for an identification of various methods of discussing the inflammatory issue of betrayal in a veiled way (literary allusions, using Latin, etc.). The letters of Jerzy Radziwiłł commenting on the infidelity of his sister are written bluntly, and we encounter expletives in them, as well as a straightforward addressing of the issue of the marshal’s impotence. Another, more humorous representation of the sensitive topic of impotence, is documented in the letter from Dorohostajski to Krzysztof Radziwiłł from Venice, whereas in the correspondence of Zofia Dorohostajska, the theme of physical love is not mentioned at all, as it is a humble admission of adultery. The previously unpublished correspondence reveals the various ways of discussing intimate and sensitive topics in the seventeenth century.
