Prosochê and the Transformation of the Self in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Poetry

• Authors: Dominika Ruszkiewicz

Title variants

PL

Prosochê i przeobrażenie siebie w poezji Geoffreya Chaucera

Abstracts

PL

Tematem niniejszego artykułu jest pojęcie prosochê, definiowane jako skupienie się na chwili obecnej, w poezji Geoffreya Chaucera. Mimo iż sam termin grecki nie pojawia się w utworach Chaucera, to idea uważnej refleksji nad samym sobą, innymi oraz kosmosem jest mocno zaakcentowana przez angielskiego poetę, szczególnie w jego poezji dworskiej, która przedstawia postaci pogrążone w apatii oraz potrzebujące wewnętrznej przemiany. Poeta podkreśla transformacyjną moc uwagi poprzez wezwanie do przebudzenia, którego przykłady zostaną omówione w niniejszym artykule na podstawie dwóch utworów: Księga księżnej oraz Troilus i Criseyda. To, w jaki sposób poeta traktuje temat prosochê, świadczy o jego twórczym podejściu do źródeł, jak również o wrażliwości moralnej i filozoficznej refleksji.

EN

The article deals with the concept of prosochê, defined as concentration on the present moment, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s poetry. Even though the Greek term never appears in Chaucer’s poetry, the idea of attentive reflection on the self, others, and the cosmos is often articulated by the poet, especially in his courtly poetry, which construes individuals as steeped in apathy and in need of inner transformation. The poet underlines the transformative power of attention through a call to wake up, examples of which will be examined in this article, based on two poems: The Book of the Duchess and Troilus and Criseyde. It will be shown that Chaucer’s engagement with the concept of prosochê is testament to the poet’s creativity while handling his sources as well as to his moral sensitivity and philosophical reflection.

Keywords

PL

prosochê; wiedza o sobie; średniowiecze; Geoffrey Chaucer; transformacje

EN

prosochê; self-knowledge; the Middle Ages; Geoffrey Chaucer; transformation

• Publisher: Akademia Ignatianum w Krakowie
• Journal: Perspektywy Kultury
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 169-180

Dates

published

2024

Contributors

author

Dominika Ruszkiewicz

• Uniwersytet Ignatianum w Krakowie

• https://orcid.org/000000017809587X

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Identifiers

DOI

10.35765/pk.2024.4502.13

Biblioteka Nauki

37554778