The meaning of the author’s biography in studies on the literature of Polish Enlightenment – the case of Cyprian Godebski

Patrycja Bąkowska

---

A b s t r a k t

The article discusses the importance of a writer’s biography for studies on old literature. The topic has been the focus of research for long but hitherto largely limited to 19^th– and 20^th-c. literature. Given the expansive nature of the issue the author has concentrated here on the works of Cyprian Godebski, who participated in the Napoleonic wars and was author of, among others, Wiersz do Legiów polskich [A poem for Polish Legions]. In her analysis of Godebski’s literary works the author has pointed to the manners in which they deal with the biographic context, which proved to be an important element of the reading process.