Edited By Pawel Schreiber and Joanna Malicka
Visions of Poland, Russia and Europe. “Rizpah” Charles Algernon Swinburne
The nineteenth century was a very special period in the history of Polish-British relations, both politically and culturally. The uprisings and unrest on the Polish soil, especially in the Russian partition zone, alarmed the UK government because any events in Poland could have an impact on British interests not only in this region of Europe but also in areas traditionally perceived as the sphere of British influence. For obvious reasons, Polish patriots of various options and political opinions (but especially those from Adam Czartoryski Hotel Lambert circles) tried to rouse the interest of the United Kingdom in Polish affairs.1 In addition to the typical diplomatic and political activities, Polish efforts to influence the British public should also be noted. As a result, during periods of Polish uprisings British press published numerous accounts of the events in Poland during the November and January uprisings and a number of travel books faithfully depicted the political and military situations of that period. Echoes of the events taking place in the distant country were also present in British literature and poetry during the nineteenth century. It is enough to mention Thaddeus of Warsaw by Jane Porter, a romance Henry Count de Kolinski by Mrs. Murray, a popular poet Thomas Campbell, as well as the best poets such as S.T. Coleridge, Leigh Hunt, John Keats, Lord Byron, Alfred Tennyson, Douglas Moore and many others.2
Algernon Charles Swinburne belongs to the poets of the British Isles who were not indifferent to the...
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