The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga

Objectives The aim of this article is to discuss the universe of The Witcher from the perspective of the broadly understood history of ideas, particularly in the context of research on the archetype of Polish political culture. The author ponders to what extent the world of The Witcher expresses the...

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Main Author: Agnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Akademia Nauk Stosowanych WSGE im. A. De Gasperi w Józefowie 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Modern Science
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Online Access:https://www.jomswsge.com/Archetyp-polskiej-kultury-politycznej-w-Sadze-o-wiedzminie-Andrzeja-Sapkowskiego,203561,0,2.html
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author Agnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka
author_facet Agnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka
author_sort Agnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka
collection DOAJ
description Objectives The aim of this article is to discuss the universe of The Witcher from the perspective of the broadly understood history of ideas, particularly in the context of research on the archetype of Polish political culture. The author ponders to what extent the world of The Witcher expresses the archetype of Polish political culture. Material and methods The universe is presented in the Witcher cycle by Andrzej Sapkowski, consisting of the following consecutive volumes: The Last Wish (OŻ), Sword of Destiny (MP), Blood of Elves (KE), Time of Contempt (CP), Baptism of Fire (ChO), The Tower of the Swallow (WJ), The Lady of the Lake (PJ). The article attempts to answer the question of the reasons behind the commercial success of the Witcher saga. The assumption is that, firstly, Andrzej Sapkowski's prose expresses the archetype of Polish political culture, which accounts for its enduring popularity, and secondly, it critically engages with this archetype. The research question thus is: does it fundamentally criticize this archetype by asserting that the patterns of Polish culture are "flawed" per se, or is its criticism internal, thereby criticizing the disintegration of these positively valued patterns? Results The main conclusion drawn from the analysis is the thesis regarding the internal nature of the criticism of the archetype of Polish political culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga. The "spirit of modernity" accompanied by the theory of subjective rights is, within the framework of this archetype, at least problematic. Conclusions The article points to the still relevant problem of reconciling the "spirit of Polishness" with the "spirit of modernity," as well as to the open and significant nature of the discussion about Polish identity.
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spelling doaj-art-1c239cd1f11448e18720b5d906de284a2025-08-20T02:27:00ZengAkademia Nauk Stosowanych WSGE im. A. De Gasperi w JózefowieJournal of Modern Science1734-20312391-789X2025-04-0161152453710.13166/jms/203561203561The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher SagaAgnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2364-9246Ignatianum University in CracowObjectives The aim of this article is to discuss the universe of The Witcher from the perspective of the broadly understood history of ideas, particularly in the context of research on the archetype of Polish political culture. The author ponders to what extent the world of The Witcher expresses the archetype of Polish political culture. Material and methods The universe is presented in the Witcher cycle by Andrzej Sapkowski, consisting of the following consecutive volumes: The Last Wish (OŻ), Sword of Destiny (MP), Blood of Elves (KE), Time of Contempt (CP), Baptism of Fire (ChO), The Tower of the Swallow (WJ), The Lady of the Lake (PJ). The article attempts to answer the question of the reasons behind the commercial success of the Witcher saga. The assumption is that, firstly, Andrzej Sapkowski's prose expresses the archetype of Polish political culture, which accounts for its enduring popularity, and secondly, it critically engages with this archetype. The research question thus is: does it fundamentally criticize this archetype by asserting that the patterns of Polish culture are "flawed" per se, or is its criticism internal, thereby criticizing the disintegration of these positively valued patterns? Results The main conclusion drawn from the analysis is the thesis regarding the internal nature of the criticism of the archetype of Polish political culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga. The "spirit of modernity" accompanied by the theory of subjective rights is, within the framework of this archetype, at least problematic. Conclusions The article points to the still relevant problem of reconciling the "spirit of Polishness" with the "spirit of modernity," as well as to the open and significant nature of the discussion about Polish identity.https://www.jomswsge.com/Archetyp-polskiej-kultury-politycznej-w-Sadze-o-wiedzminie-Andrzeja-Sapkowskiego,203561,0,2.htmleuropemodernityandrzej sapkowskithe witcherpolish political culture
spellingShingle Agnieszka Katarzyna Puszkow-Bańka
The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
Journal of Modern Science
europe
modernity
andrzej sapkowski
the witcher
polish political culture
title The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
title_full The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
title_fullStr The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
title_full_unstemmed The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
title_short The Archetype of Polish Political Culture in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher Saga
title_sort archetype of polish political culture in andrzej sapkowski s the witcher saga
topic europe
modernity
andrzej sapkowski
the witcher
polish political culture
url https://www.jomswsge.com/Archetyp-polskiej-kultury-politycznej-w-Sadze-o-wiedzminie-Andrzeja-Sapkowskiego,203561,0,2.html
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