European University Institute Library

Customs and Culture in Poland under the Last Saxon King, The major texts of Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III Description of customs during the reign of August III by Jędrzej Kitowicz, translated, with a preface and running commentary by Oscar E. Swan

eng

no index present

non fiction

Customs and Culture in Poland under the Last Saxon King

electronic resource

dictionaries

1102328806

translated, with a preface and running commentary by Oscar E. Swan

CEU Press - History eBooks

The major texts of Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III Description of customs during the reign of August III by Jędrzej Kitowicz

"Jedrzej Kitowicz was a parish priest in central Poland with a military and worldly past. In his later years, after putting the affairs of his parish in order, he composed a colorful chronicle of all aspects and walks of life under King August III. He seems to have written mostly from memory, creating in the process the most complete record that exists of society in eighteenth-century Poland. A man with omnivorous tastes, a keen sense of observation, and a wry--at times bawdy--sense of humor, Kitowicz's realistic and robust literary technique has been compared in its earthiness and evocativeness to Flemish genre painting. A noteworthy example of eighteenth-century writing and narrative talent, his Opis reveals an astounding visual memory and a modern ethnographer's eye for material culture. The present book consists of fifty-one chapters, including all of the most celebrated ones, from Father Kitowicz's Opis, complete with a comprehensive introduction. Topics include religious beliefs, customs and institutions, child-rearing, education, the judiciary and the military. Particularly vivid are the descriptions of the lives of the nobility, ranging from cooking through men's and women's wear to household entertainments and drinking habits. A commentary by the editor introduces each chapter"--, Provided by publisher.--, Provided by publisher

Religious denominations in Poland -- On piety -- The hospital of the baby Jesus -- The maiden canonesses -- On manger scenes -- Floral sunday -- Ash Wednesday: dark matins -- The passion service and the flagellants -- Easter processions and the entombment ceremony -- The resurrection ceremony and Corpus Christi procession -- Easter Monday and St. John's Eve -- Child-rearing -- The education of children past the age of seven -- Public schools -- On student privileges -- How Dabrowski lost his head -- On the Sejms -- Eating and drinking at the Sejmiks vetting delegates -- The marshal's courts -- On torture -- The crown tribunals -- The singlesticks circle -- Deputival honors and parades -- The conclusion of the tribunals -- The Radom Commission -- The Crown Foot Guard -- The company circle -- The company deputation for tax collection -- The march of the hussar and armored companies -- Foreign-style regiments -- The hetmans -- The sich and the haidamaks -- On orders -- Old-fashioned cookery -- New-fashioned cookery -- Noble tables and banquets -- On the potato -- Of beds and bedding -- On noble palaces and homes -- On costume or dress -- Women's wear -- Of snuff and snuff boxes -- Of bags and watches, rings and pins -- Household entertainments -- Of carnivals and kuligs -- Masked balls -- Of drinks and drinking -- On the more famous drunkards -- Of carriages and conveyances -- Public convocations -- On peasant customs