"Shades" (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
: "''Cienie''") is one of
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
' shortest
micro-stories. Written in 1885, it comes from a period of
pessimism
Pessimism is a mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empty or half ...
in his life caused partly by the 1883 failure of ''Nowiny'' (News), a
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
daily that he had been
editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing p ...
for less than a year. Prus, the "
lamplighter
A lamplighter or gaslighter is a person employed to light and maintain street lights. These included candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting.
Public street lighting was developed in the 16th century. During this time, lamplighters toured public s ...
" who had striven to dispel
darkness
Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina a ...
and its attendant "fear, madness, and mischief," had failed to sufficiently interest the public in ''Nowiny'', his
Positivist "observatory of societal facts," .
Themes
"Shades" is one of several
micro-stories by
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
that were inspired partly by 19th-century
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
prose poetry
Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form while otherwise deferring to poetic devices to make meaning.
Characteristics
Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associated with poetry. However, it make ...
.
Zygmunt Szweykowski Zygmunt Szweykowski may refer to:
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (historian) (1894–1978), Polish historian, father of Szweykowski (1894–1978)
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (musicologist) (1929–2023), Polish musicologist, son of Szweykowski (1929–2023)
...
, ''Twórczość Bolesława Prusa'' (The Writings of Bolesław Prus), p. 99.
Prus scholar
Zygmunt Szweykowski Zygmunt Szweykowski may refer to:
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (historian) (1894–1978), Polish historian, father of Szweykowski (1894–1978)
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (musicologist) (1929–2023), Polish musicologist, son of Szweykowski (1929–2023)
...
writes:
Prus'
micro-story "Shades" comprises two parts. The first half evokes the above-described atmosphere of dread, via Prus' description of an eternal contest between light and darkness. The second half describes the efforts of one of a number of nameless
lamplighter
A lamplighter or gaslighter is a person employed to light and maintain street lights. These included candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting.
Public street lighting was developed in the 16th century. During this time, lamplighters toured public s ...
s to dispel the darkness, for as long as his finite lifespan permits.
See also
* "
Mold of the Earth
"Mold of the Earth" ( Polish: "''Pleśń świata''") is one of the shortest micro-stories by the Polish writer Bolesław Prus.
The story was published on 1 January 1884 in the New Year's Day issue of the ''Warsaw Courier'' ('' Kurier Warszawski ...
" (a
micro-story by
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
).
* "
The Living Telegraph" (a
micro-story by
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
).
*
Prose poetry
Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form while otherwise deferring to poetic devices to make meaning.
Characteristics
Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associated with poetry. However, it make ...
.
* "
A Legend of Old Egypt" (
Prus' first
historical
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
).
*
Darkness
Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina a ...
.
References
Sources
*
Christopher Kasparek
Christopher Kasparek (born 1945) is a Scottish-born writer of Polish descent who has translated works by numerous Polish authors, including Ignacy Krasicki, Bolesław Prus, Florian Znaniecki, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Marian Rejewski, and Wł ...
, "Two
Micro-Stories by
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
," ''
The Polish Review
''The Polish Review'' is an English-language academic journal published quarterly in New York City by the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. ''The Polish Review'' was established in 1956, as a successor of the ''PAU Bulletin''. It ...
'', 1995, no. 1, pp. 99–103.
*
Zygmunt Szweykowski Zygmunt Szweykowski may refer to:
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (historian) (1894–1978), Polish historian, father of Szweykowski (1894–1978)
* Zygmunt Szweykowski (musicologist) (1929–2023), Polish musicologist, son of Szweykowski (1929–2023)
...
, ''Twórczość Bolesława Prusa'' (The Writings of
Bolesław Prus
Aleksander Głowacki (20 August 1847 – 19 May 1912), better known by his pen name Bolesław Prus (), was a Polish journalist, novelist, a leading figure in the history of Polish literature and philosophy, and a distinctive voice in world ...
), 2nd ed., Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1972.
* Barbara Bobrowska, ''"Latarnicy Wóycickiego i Prusa, czyli o 'fizjologii parabolicznej'"'' ("Wóycicki's and
Prus' Lamplighters: '
parabolic physiology
Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
'"), in ''Małe narracje Prusa'' (Prus's Small Narratives), Gdańsk, słowo/obraz terytoria, 2004, pp. 113–34.
{{Bolesław Prus
Short stories by Bolesław Prus
1885 short stories
Existentialist short stories