Andrea Mariani | Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (original) (raw)

Papers by Andrea Mariani

"Rocznik Lituanistyczny" 9 (2023), s. 309-330, 2024

Celem niniejszego artykułu recenzyjnego jest uzupełnienie najnowszej biografi i Hieronima Florian... more Celem niniejszego artykułu recenzyjnego jest uzupełnienie najnowszej biografi i Hieronima Floriana Radziwiłła (1715-1760). Jej Autor Paweł Gad w przekonujący sposób obala tezę, jakoby bohater był okrutnikiem i szaleńcem, wskazując, że jego zachowania - aczkolwiek niekiedy specyficzne - mieściły się w akceptowanym kanonie dla przedstawicieli osiemnastowiecznej magnaterii. Skupiając się na życiu rodzinnym księcia, jego aktywności politycznej, pasjach i rozrywkach, Autor pominął inne istotne zagadnienia, takie jak jego działalność gospodarcza, religijność i relacje z różnymi grupami wyznaniowymi. Opierając się na źródłach rękopiśmiennych niewykorzystanych przez Autora, recenzent potwierdza i rozszerza obraz księcia rysowany na kartach biografii. Słabą stroną recenzowanej książki jest wybiórcze wykorzystywanie dorobku historiograficznego i niestaranne przygotowanie maszynopisu do druku.

Biuletyn Historii Wychowania 47 (2022), s. 113-135, 2022

The paper analyses the education of the members of three collateral lines of the Radziwiłł family... more The paper analyses the education of the members of three collateral lines of the Radziwiłł family (Kleck, Szydłowiec and Berdyczów) between the late 17th century and 1773, the year of the suppression of the Society of Jesus. The author bases on various archival sources, and particularly private letters and diaries. The decline in social prestige of these family lines determined the way how their members were educated. While all members of the first generation studied in various Jesuit colleges and later undertook the grand tour, in the later period most Radziwiłłs were educated under the supervision of their influent relatives from Nieśwież. Nevertheless, they received good education, often in Jesuit or Piarist noblemen colleges. The knowledge of modern languages, history and geography fostered their political career during the crisis of the Nieśwież line in the 1760s and 1770s. After reconstructing the early life of various members of the Radziwiłł family, the author analyses the choice of various schools.

Stan badań nad wielokulturowym dziedzictwem dawnej Rzeczypospolitej, t. 15, red. Wojciech Walczak, Katarzyna Wiszowata-Walczak, Białystok 2023, s. 279-321, 2023

The present article analyses the membership of foreign Jesuits to the Polish and Lithuanian Provi... more The present article analyses the membership of foreign Jesuits to the Polish and Lithuanian Provinces of the Society of Jesus in the 17th and 18th century. The Author focuses not only on their numerical fluctuations and the areas from which they came, but also on their recruitment and posts. Despite the decreasing percentage in relation to the overall Jesuit population, by 1773 foreigners still made almost a 5% of the Jesuit community. The largest group was made by Germans, followed by Silesians, Czechs, Frenchmen, Hungarians and Austrians. Smaller groups included Italians, Scandinavians, the inhabitants of British Islands and the Netherlands. Many joined the Society of Jesus in Poland-Lithuania and remained there for their entire career, while others came from other Provinces and spent there only a few years. This was the case of the Jesuits from the Austrian and Czech province hosted in Poland-Lithuania during the Thirty Years’ War as well as of French Jesuits expelled from France in 1762 and 1764. Initially many foreigners were active as rectors, provincials and theology professors, while later mainly served as German preachers and missionaries. A large number of foreigners consisted of lay brothers, employed as pharmacists, artisans and artists.

Opera Historica 23/2, 2023

Panegyrics are a valuable primary source for reconstructing early-modern culture and mentality. H... more Panegyrics are a valuable primary source for reconstructing early-modern culture and mentality. However, Polish scholars have only recently paid attention to them due to the difficulties posed by their elusive language and complex rhetoric figures relying on both Ancient literature and Holy Scripture. The present article does not focus on their content. Instead, it statistically analyses a set of more than 1200 panegyrics printed between the late 16th century and late 18th century by Jesuits and Piarists, the two most influential religious congregations active in the educational field in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The author aims to show the extent of this literary phenomenon and its transformation over time to provide
a general overview to scholars focusing on specific texts. In particular, the article answers the following questions: how many panegyrics Jesuits and Piarists published, to which social layers and on which occasions they were dedicated. Finally, the author analyses the connections between particular noble families and religious houses. The number of printed panegyrics considerably fluctuated over time, depending on wars and political crises. After peaking in the second quarter of the 18th century, it dropped due to the transition from Baroque to Classicism in the realm of rhetoric. Most panegyrics were dedicated to the members of the high nobility, followed by bishops and the ruling family. On the other hand, the middle nobility and burghers played a secondary role. The occasions for publishing panegyrics show the increasing institutionalization of this literary genre as prints usually celebrated the entry of ecclesiastical or secular dignitaries or family celebrations such as weddings and funerals.

Guwerner - preceptor - nauczyciel. Szkice z historii edukacji w Polsce i Europie Zachodniej (XVII-XIX w.), pod red. A. Jakuboszczak, A. Kucharskiego i Agnieszki Wieczorek, Toruń 2022, s. 161-186, 2022

The paper analyses the role of Stephan Wulfers SJ in the education of Prince Hieronim Wincenty Ra... more The paper analyses the role of Stephan Wulfers SJ in the education of Prince Hieronim Wincenty Radziwiłł. Due to the exile of his stepbrother Karol Stanisław, the young aristocrat was educated abroad, in Prague and Mannheim. Despite an assertive personality that led to conflicts with his associates, Wulfers was a talented and innovative teacher. He also cared
for every detail of the prince's foreign stay.

Mehrsprachigkeit im Schulwesen der Frühen Neuzeit, 2023

The article analyses the knowledge of languages among the Jesuit communities of the Lithuanian an... more The article analyses the knowledge of languages among the Jesuit communities of the Lithuanian and Polish Provinces in the 18th century.

Rozprawy z Dziejów Oświaty, 59, 2022

The article analyzes the structure of a specific group of Jesuits, i.e. the so-called magistri. D... more The article analyzes the structure of a specific group of Jesuits, i.e. the so-called magistri. During their religious formation, these young Jesuits taught humanistic courses addressed to secular youth. The author applies an innovative methodology, consisting of the statistical analysis of the data fro personal catalogues of the Polish and Lithuanian Provinces by means of RStudio, an integrated development environment for statistical computing and graphics. In particular, the paper focuses on the number of magistri, their proportion related to the overall Jesuit population, and their evolution over time. It also represents their dispersion across various Jesuit houses, the relationship between the subjects they taught and the number of years they spent in the Jesuit Order before receiving that post. Finally, it considers the association of various teaching posts. Through the statistical analysis, the author verifies the historiographical thesis according to which a crisis occurred in the Jesuit school system during the second half of the 17th century.

Journal of Jesuit Studies, 2023

The paper analyzes the community of the Lithuanian province of the Society of Jesus between 1608 ... more The paper analyzes the community of the Lithuanian province of the Society of Jesus between 1608 and 1773. It adopts a prosopographical approach based on the full set of the order's personnel catalogs for the Lithuanian and Masovian provinces, which have been analyzed by means of RStudio, an integrated development environment based on the R programming language. The author focuses on the total number of Jesuits in the province, their religious or secular status, final vows, education, regional distribution, and geographic origin. In the long term, changes mainly depended on local factors such as the cultural assimilation of the inhabitants of the eastern territories marked by the influence of the Orthodox Church. In the short term, wars and epidemics also played an important role. However, some of the trends in the Lithuanian province, such as the number of professed of the four vows, which increased due to the larger availability of theological courses during religious formation, were similar to those in other administrative units of the Society. Overall, the article demonstrates that the seventeenth-century crises had a profound impact on the Jesuit community both in terms of numbers and internal structure.

Rocznik Lituanistyczny, 2015

Zarys treści Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy aktywności kaznodziejów, spowiedników i prywatnych nauczyc... more Zarys treści Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy aktywności kaznodziejów, spowiedników i prywatnych nauczycieli z zakonu jezuitów na dworach królewskich i magnackich w dawnej Rzeczypospolitej. Pierwsza część pracy skupia się na zasadach regulujących działalność kapelanów nadwornych, określonych w II połowie XVI stulecia. Następnie zarysowany jest zbiorowy portret jezuickich kapelanów prowincji litewskiej w XVII i XVIII w. W ramach tych rozważań autor omawia wzajemne oddziaływanie Towarzystwa Jezusowego i jego dobroczyńców, a także próbuje określić, w jakim stopniu prawodawstwo zakonne było przestrzegane w badanym kontekście. Pomimo marginalizacji jezuitów litewskich na dworze królewskim w II połowie XVII w., liczba kapelanów nadwornych pozostała znacząca. Wynikało to z silnej obecności w kręgu najbardziej wpływowych rodów litewskich, takich jak Radziwiłłowie i Sapiehowie. Na stanowisko kapelana nadwornego byli powoływani zazwyczaj księża na początku kariery zakonnej. W większości przypadków urząd ten sprawowano przez stosunkowo krótki okres, co uprawnia do stwierdzenia, że stanowił on odskocznię do późniejszych awansów. O powołaniu na służbę dworską decydowała osobowość kandydata: magnaci oczekiwali bowiem lojalności i roztropności od swoich kapelanów. Pożądana była także znajomość języka francuskiego. Pochodzenie społeczne nie odgrywało natomiast większej roli. Mimo że nie każdy kapelan nadworny wchodził w skład duchownej klienteli magnatów, wielu z nich pełniło zadania niezwiązane ściśle z powołaniem zakonnym. Relacje z patronami miały niekiedy charakter emocjonalny, jak ukazuje się w świetle korespondencji.

Studia Europaea Gnesnensia, 2014

The paper offers an insight into the diplomatic activities of princess Anna Luiza Radziwiłłowa ne... more The paper offers an insight into the diplomatic activities of princess Anna Luiza Radziwiłłowa nee Mycielska, second wife and widow of the great general of Lithuania, Michał Kazimierz “Rybeńko” Radziwiłł, in the aftermath of the election of Stanisław August to the Polish throne. The main sources comprise diplomatic correspondence between France and Gdańsk, where the princess lived during the exile of her stepson, following his opposition to the new king. The paper aims at showing how Anna Luiza tried to gain political support from France as well as how her efforts were perceived by the French diplomacy.

Wiek Oświecenia, 37, 2021

The article presents the social role of Jesuit pharmacies in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth b... more The article presents the social role of Jesuit pharmacies in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth based on the sources of religious provenance and inventories of Jesuit colleges drawn up as a result of the dissolution of the Society of Jesus in 1773. In the first part, the author analyzes the ecclesiastical and secular legislation and its impact on the activities of Jesuit pharmacies. Canon law did not forbid clergymen to deal with medicine, but only limited the possibility of obtaining academic education in this field and conducting surgical procedures. By adopting these rules, Jesuit legislation placed the main emphasis on superiors’ control over the finances of pharmacies and limited the sale of drugs to protect
the order from being accused of unfair competition by the townspeople. In the context of state pharmaceutical law, the privilege of June 30, 1662, which allowed for the liberation of journeymen by Jesuit pharmacists, was of great importance. In this way, a path of professional education in the field of pharmacy under the management of the Society, an alternative to the guild system, was created. The second part of the article discusses the social factors that favoured the establishment of monastic pharmacies. Particularly noteworthy is the uneven distribution of Jesuit pharmacies in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
While in Royal Prussia the Jesuits did not run pharmacies to avoid conflicts with the Protestant bourgeoisie, in the eastern borderlands of the Polish-Lithuanian state, Jesuit pharmacies were often the only institutions of this type. The third part of the work presents the financial situation of Jesuit pharmacies. They had significant income, but also required considerable investments related to the purchase of raw materials and equipment in the Baltic ports. The fourth part of the article concerns the social scope of the activity of Jesuit pharmacists, who not only provided medicines to the poor, but also treated nobles, magnates and high church dignitaries. Not being obliged by guild regulations, apart from preparing medicines, they also diagnosed them, performed minor surgical procedures and assisted women during childbirth. The last part of the article discusses drugs and raw materials in terms of their availability to the broadly understood clientele. The offer of Jesuit pharmacies included both cheap products derived from the local flora, intended for the treatment of the poor, and expensive raw materials from abroad. Moreover, among the medical matter there were preparations for women and infants, as well as for people suffering from syphilis. In the end, the author emphasizes the centrality of pharmacies in the Jesuit pastoral strategy. Thanks to their high level, pharmacies not only corresponded to the ideal of mercy, but also contributed to gaining the favour and trust of representatives of social elites. In this context, the dissolution of the Society is an important turning point not only in cultural and religious life, but also in the history of medicine and pharmacy in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Studia Europaea Gnesnensia , Dec 1, 2013

W niniejszym artykule omowiony jest proces adaptacji zachodnioeuropejskiej literatury naboznej do... more W niniejszym artykule omowiony jest proces adaptacji zachodnioeuropejskiej literatury naboznej do staropolskiego kontekstu kulturowego na przykladzie dorobku litewskiego jezuity Jana Poszakowskiego. Metoda badan polega nie tylko na porownywaniu jego publikacji z pozycjami zagranicznymi, do ktorych nawiązywal, ale tez na analizie listow skierowanych do koadiutora wilenskiego Jozefa Stanislawa Sapiehy, mecenasa i bibliofila. W nich zakonnik omawial podejście do pracy tlumacza, a takze uzasadnial pozytecznośc wlasnych projektow wydawniczych ideą wspomozenia wiernych. W pierwszej cześci artykulu przedstawiony jest biogram zakonnika, ktory przez prawie trzydzieści lat byl ściśle związany z dworem Radziwillow nieświeskich. Dzialalnośc jezuity w kregu rodu magnackiego umozliwila zapoznanie sie z nowościami wydawniczymi, jakie pojawialy sie na Zachodzie, rozwiniecie zainteresowan historycznych oraz zdobycie znajomości jezyka francuskiego. W drugiej cześci artykulu scharakteryzowany jest dorobek Poszakowskiego. Litewski jezuita wyroznial sie nie tylko jako pisarz apologetyczny dzieki opublikowaniu kilku traktatow teologicznych i prac historycznych polemizujących z protestantami, ale takze jako nowator jezuickiej produkcji wydawniczej z powodu redagowania pierwszych kalendarzy politycznych. W trzeciej cześci artykulu wspomniane są zaplanowane przez Poszakowskiego projekty wydawnicze, ktore ostatecznie nie doczekaly sie realizacji. W ostatniej cześci podejmuje sie analize prac opublikowanych przez litewskiego jezuite w pierwszej polowie lat piecdziesiątych, ktorym badacze dotychczas poświecili najmniejszą uwage. Wylania sie na ich przykladzie proba zaszczepienia idei spoleczenstwa chrześcijanskiego na gruncie polsko-litewskim. W intencji jezuity proces ten mial dokonac sie przez umoralnienie zycia jak najszerszego kregu spolecznego, co wowczas wiązalo sie z dązeniem do wprowadzania w zycie przepisow uchwalonych na Soborze Trydenckim. Pierwszorzedny udzial w tych zmianach mial przypaśc szlachcie, wystepującej w roli warstwy pośredniczącej miedzy wladzą kościelną a poddanstwem.

Senoji Lietuvos Literatūra, 49, 2020

This article analyzes the material culture of the Jesuits in Vilnius during the second half of th... more This article analyzes the material culture of the Jesuits in Vilnius during the second half of the eighteenth century. Based on the manuscript inventories of Jesuit houses issued after the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, the author examines the furniture and internal decoration of the Academic college next to St John’s Church, the professed house near St Casimir’s Church, the novitiate house next to St Ignatius’ Church, and the tertianship house nearby St Raphael’s Church. Attention is focused on paintings, heating systems, furniture, and tableware. The author attempts to assess the extent to which the Jesuit material culture was an expression of religious ideals.

LIetuvos istorijos metraštis , 2020

The article analyses the attitude of the Jesuits towards the hegemony of the Sapieha family in th... more The article analyses the attitude of the Jesuits towards the hegemony of the Sapieha family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Jesuits’ standpoint and tactics and the changes they underwent in the last decade of the 17th – the first decade of the 18th century when Lithuania was shaken by internal conflicts which at the turn of the century escalated to a civil war. Making use of the Jesuit archives the author analyses: 1) the conflict between the bishop of Vilnius Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski and Vilnius academy which evolved in 1691–1693 around the disagreements with regard to the Bishop’s prerogatives as the chancellor of the Academy and his power over the students; 2) The dire situation of monks amidst the conflict between the bishop of Vilnius and the grand hetman of Lithuania and the voivoide of Vilnius Kazimierz Jan Sapieha; 3) the attitude of the Jesuits towards the anti-Sapieha opposition and actions of the former as the conflict escalated to the civil war which later blended into the Great Northern War. The author emphasises the dependence of Jesuits upon the Sapieha family which not only financially supported the institutions of the order but also had a powerful leverage in the possibility to manipulate by means of quartering their army on the estates and collection of hiberna taxes. The article also points out the fact that the Jesuits contributed to the prestige of the grand hetman of Lithuania and his family, therefore the nobility in opposition to the Sapiehas suspected the Jesuits of being in sympathy with the family. This was accountable for the ill relations between the Jesuits and the anti-Sapieha opposition, the so-called republicans. Only when on 18 November 1700 the Sapiehas were defeated at the battle of Valkininkai, Jesuits were forced to look for new patrons and made effort to establish connections with the republican leaders.

"Studia Pedagogica Ignatiana", 2019

The present paper deals with the education of Jesuits in the Lithuanian Province and its influenc... more The present paper deals with the education of Jesuits in the Lithuanian Province and its influence on the religious vows made by the end of their religious formation. The research investigates changes that occurred in the structure of Jesuit personnel in regard to the education they received before and after their entry to the Jesuit Order. The main research source consists of personal catalogues from the Roman Archive of the Society of Jesus, to which the methods of statistical analysis and prosopography have been applied. The paper focuses on the following issues: (1) the general number of Jesuit personnel in the province, (2) the studies they completed before and (3) after their entry to the religious order, (4) the number of the professed of four vows and spiritual coadjutors, and (5) the influence of the school reform on Jesuit education, with particular regard to the mathematical sciences. The analysed sources indicate a gradual unification of the educational process, which consisted of a three-year philosophical course and a four-year theological course. Owing to the implementation of this model, the number of Jesuits professed of four vows increased and the number of spiritual coadjutors diminished.

"Studia Pedagogica Ignatiana", 22/4 (2019), s. 19-48 , 2019

Niniejszy artykuł omawia kształcenie jezuitów prowincji litewskiej oraz jego wpływ na rodzaj ślub... more Niniejszy artykuł omawia kształcenie jezuitów prowincji litewskiej oraz jego wpływ na rodzaj ślubów zakonnych składanych po ukończeniu formacji. Celem opracowania jest analiza zmian, jakie zachodziły w strukturze personelu jeśli chodzi o studia odbyte zarówno przed, jak i po wstąpieniu do zakonu. Bazę źródłową stanowią katalogi osobowe prowincji litewskiej, przechowywane w Archiwum Rzymskim Towarzystwa Jezusowego, które zostały opracowane metodą statystyczno-prozopograficzną. Analiza skupia się następujących zagadnieniach: (1) ogólna liczebność personelu prowincji, (2) studia zaliczone przed przyjęciem do Towarzystwa, (3) studia odbyte po wstąpieniu do zakonu, (4) liczebność profesów czterech ślubów i koadiutorów duchownych, (5) wpływ reformy szkolnictwa jezuickiego na
kształcenie jezuitów, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem nauk ścisłych.
W świetle badanego materiału można zauważyć stopniowe ujednolicanie procesu kształcenia, na które składały się trzyletni kurs filozofii i czteroletni kurs teologii scholastycznej. W wyniku tego procesu
liczba profesów czterech ślubów zwiększała się kosztem koadiutorów
duchownych.

Open Political Science, Open Political Science, 2 (2019), s. 153-173, 2019

The paper deals with the role played by the Jesuit in the political formation of the Lithuanian e... more The paper deals with the role played by the Jesuit in the political formation of the Lithuanian elite during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The author analyzes the influence of the Jesuit school system on the political culture of the nobility through rhetoric, theatre and public examinations. In particular, it shows the elements of continuity, such as the unquestioned value of classical literature and Humanistic formation. These contributed to shape the political ethos of Polish-Lithuanian elites, based on consensus and active participation in public life. The changes introduced as a result of the reform of Jesuit school system did not alter the traditional understanding of education, but rather answered to the need for better qualified civil servants in an age of modernization of the Polish-Lithuanian state.

"Zapiski Historyczne", 2019

Annali di Storia delle universit`a italiane, 23 (2019), fasc. 2, pp. 3-34, 2019

This paper presents a panorama of the educational role of the Jesuit Academy of Vilnius during th... more This paper presents a panorama of the educational role of the Jesuit Academy of Vilnius during the years 1579-1773. The aim of this research is to evaluate, on the one hand, to what degree the teaching and pastoral strategies adopted by the Jesuits fitted into the wider context of the Catholic reconquest and, on the other, in what ways the Society of Jesus adapted to the specific nature of the local context. Based, firstly, on the wide-ranging historiography relating to the Academy, the research also employs several primary sources including documents historically housed in the Roman Archives of the Society of Jesus or placed in Polish, Lithuanian and Russian cultural institutions following the dissolution of the Society, as well as academic material. The first section presents the political and social context that determined the creation and development of the Academy. The second concerns the network of institutions under the direction of the Academy, among which standout the colleges that trained the clergy, the Collegio dei Nobili, the Marian Congregations, the printing house and pharmacy. In presenting the
role of the Academy in the multi-religious context of the Polish-Lithuanian Society, the paper focuses on relations with Protestants and members of Churches of Eastern rites. It then goes on to present the Academy’s cultural contacts with foreign Catholic universities. Finally, it examines the teaching programme in the context of the Ratio studiorum tradition and reforming tendencies that manifested themselves during the 18th century. In conclusion, it underlines the determining role of relations between Jesuits and the nobility in the development of the Academy. This social class, indeed, was the beneficiary of the education provided by the Jesuits and, in accordance with the demands of the future public life of the nobility, the Jesuits adapted the course content and teaching modalities.

"Rocznik Lituanistyczny" 9 (2023), s. 309-330, 2024

Biuletyn Historii Wychowania 47 (2022), s. 113-135, 2022

Stan badań nad wielokulturowym dziedzictwem dawnej Rzeczypospolitej, t. 15, red. Wojciech Walczak, Katarzyna Wiszowata-Walczak, Białystok 2023, s. 279-321, 2023

Opera Historica 23/2, 2023

Mehrsprachigkeit im Schulwesen der Frühen Neuzeit, 2023

Rozprawy z Dziejów Oświaty, 59, 2022

Journal of Jesuit Studies, 2023

Rocznik Lituanistyczny, 2015

Studia Europaea Gnesnensia, 2014

Wiek Oświecenia, 37, 2021

Studia Europaea Gnesnensia , Dec 1, 2013

Senoji Lietuvos Literatūra, 49, 2020

LIetuvos istorijos metraštis , 2020

"Studia Pedagogica Ignatiana", 2019

"Studia Pedagogica Ignatiana", 22/4 (2019), s. 19-48 , 2019

Open Political Science, Open Political Science, 2 (2019), s. 153-173, 2019

"Zapiski Historyczne", 2019

Annali di Storia delle universit`a italiane, 23 (2019), fasc. 2, pp. 3-34, 2019

Book review: Markus Friedrich, Der lange Arm Roms? Globale Verwaltung und Kommunikation im Jesuit... more Book review: Markus Friedrich, Der lange Arm Roms? Globale Verwaltung und Kommunikation im Jesuitenorden 1540-1773, Frankfurt am Main – New York 2011, 509 pp.

Book review: Karolina Stojek-Sawicka, Duchowieństwo katolickie w życiu Radziwiłłów nieświeskich w... more Book review: Karolina Stojek-Sawicka, Duchowieństwo katolickie w życiu Radziwiłłów nieświeskich w XVIII wieku, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2011, 448 pp.

This book deals with contemporary Italian history in a unique way. The book’s authors provide a b... more This book deals with contemporary Italian history in a unique way. The book’s authors provide a broad picture of Italian history by collecting and translating one hundred song texts written either in Italian or its dialects between the late 18th century and the end of the First World War. Various genres are considered, from 19th-century opera to popular music and from folk music to political and protest songs, with commentary on each song focusing primarily on the lyrics and historical background. At the beginning of this historical period, the Italian peninsula was a politically divided space, subject to foreign powers and characterized by linguistic variety and cultural polycentrism. Compared to other West European countries such as France, the Netherlands, and England, Italy’s economy and social structures were relatively underdeveloped. All these factors hindered the formation of a homogeneous public and the birth of mass culture. One of the expressions of mass culture was popular music, a musical genre that has some features in common with artistic music (written and with an authorial character) and others in common with folk music (formal simplicity and aimed at a wide public).

Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Sub Lupa, 2020