Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi (Dec 2018)
The Transition from the Renaissance to Baroque in Polish Literature: The Soul and Body Problem in the Sonnets of Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński
Abstract
The art of Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński reflects the transition process from the Renaissance to Baroque in Polish literature. The brief experience of the artist between 1550 and 1581 takes place within the boundaries of the Renaissance. Sęp known as a rather modest personality and enthusiastic Catholic left behind himself only a volume of poetry entitled Rytmy albo wiersze polskie (Rhythms or Polish poems) which could only be published 20 years after his death. It can be inferred from his works that he loves the wordly life and that he describes the beauty of life as a characteristic of the Renaissance period. However, Sęp is at a high level of awareness of the temporality of earthly life and that is why such a love towards life is accompanied by a deep fear of it since he believes that during the time given to him on earth, men must struggle inexorably with the devil. In this context, love, devil, life, death, sin, war, fear and horror are among the most prominent elements in his works. The artist describes man as a valuable, mighty, noble entity. However, his insistence is that it is a vital task for man to wage a war especially against the weakness of the physical dimension of him. In this respect, he focuses on the bipolar, contradictory and divided nature of human beings. It is noticed that the artist often gets into a pessimistic mood believing that it is possible to form and attain eternal and true happiness by strengthening his bond with God and showing a high degree of will in this direction, but it is rather a difficult path to follow.
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