This paper presents the life, views and relations of Pierre Parandier (secretary of Ignacy Potocki) when he stayed in Poland during the years 1784–1788. It is a fairly important biographical fragment that will allow a better understanding of the activities and perspective of this French diplomatic agent of the Republic after 1792.

As a deputy to the French National Convention, sitting alongside the Montagnards, Maignet suffered a black legend after a long mission in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, where he fought mercilessly against the opponents of the revolutionary government. Yet he is also the representative of an enlightened bourgeoisie who rose through the legal profession and were strongly influenced by the reading of philosophers and the practice of philanthropy. The catalogue of his library, his involvement in the Comité des Secours, his participation in the organisation of republican worship and the secularisation of cemeteries all bear witness to this.

Lekain, the greatest French tragic actor of the second half of the 18th century, defended the status of a professional actor. He was involved behind the scenes and on stage in the internal workings of the Comédie-Française. While his manuscripts on staging have been well studied, his Mémoires (not republished since 1801) reveal his influence and his personal vision of the institutional role of “sociétaire”, based on Enlightenment principles from Voltaire and Diderot. By comparing these scattered documents to the Official Registers (online), we discover the consideration for his profession and his concern for the protection of the State. This little-known work offers an apologetic defence of their social utility in the critical period of the Consulate.

Many utopian works were written and published during the Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution. At the start of the Consulate, Father Jean Amand Puech, a sworn priest, repentant revolutionary and admirer of Napoleon, wrote a draft universal constitution which remained in the archives of the Ministry of the Interior. After 43 introductory articles, the constitution consists of 153 articles grouped into 19 titles of varying lengths. It is a fanciful project advocating the political and religious unity of the world under the leadership of Napoleon. The author assigns himself particularly high responsibilities within the proposed institutions. The syncretism of the project testifies to the contradictions of an era full of upheavals. Having mellowed, the priest ended his career in a small parish in Gironde at the age of 53.

Following the 1772 partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, John Lind, Simon Linguet, and Louis-Antoine de Caraccioli took up the pen to defend its cause. By appealing to the reason and feelings of their readers in the face of the tragic events that had befallen the Republic, these essayists helped to sensitise European public opinion to its fate. The aim of our study is to define how the stupor caused by this first division contributed to the emergence of a common European consciousness. In this way, we hope to contribute to a better knowledge of the reception given by 18th-century public opinion to the dismemberment of the Polish-Lithuanian Republic.

Basing itself on largely unpublished documents held in archives across Europe, the article examines the career of Scottish painter Katherine Read (1723–1778) as a cosmopolitan one: she was trained in France and Italy, spoke and wrote fluent French, set up a highly regarded studio in England and left for India when she was over 50, all thanks, in part, to the Scottish (Jacobite) identity of which she remained conscious, but with a clear openness to other people and cultures. This would be a hallmark of her success.

The growing interest of scholars in examining the relationships between the space and the self is perfectly reflected in the term of autobiogeography (Wolf-Meyer Heckan, Collot). While autobiogeographical readings are usually proposed to the literature starting from the 19th century, the aim of this paper is to check if it may be used to examine two travelogues by Jean Potocki (1761–1815), Voyage en Turquie et en Égypte (1788) and Voyage dans l’Empire de Maroc (1792). The analyses are conducted in three movements: through the form and the objectives of the texts, through the descriptions of the events of Potocki’s life, and through his personality. They show that the autobiogeographical reading of the two texts helps to understand Potocki’s attitude towards space and reveals his modernity.

The paper offers preliminary remarks on the list of subscribers published in the 5th volume of Giacomo Casanova’s Icosameron in 1787. After situating the place of subscription in Casanovian strategies, the text attempts to give broad outlines for categorizing the 166 people indicated on the list. Lastly, we comment on the research required to understand the misfortunes of a work in the Habsburg monarchy.

This article presents some unknown aspects of the history of the cooperation between Hungarian and Polish emigrations in France in the 18th Century. Apart from the good relations between their elites, especially those between King Stanislas Leszczyński and Count Ladislas Berchény, it concerns the Polish presence in the hussar regiments of the French royal army. These units were originally intended to employ Hungarian emigrants, but from the second half, they welcomed soldiers from different nations, among them many Poles. According to the archival sources of the Service Historique de la Défense (Vincennes), we can reconstruct certain careers that illustrate well the Hungarian-Polish collaboration in France.

This paper focuses on the socio-professional mobilities of the entrepreneurs and fairground and curiosities artists in the Circum-Atlantic area from the 1780s to the 1800s. The investigation is carried out from Bordeaux, based on the registers of passports issued to artists and in the Caribbean area through the reports of shows published in the press. The experiences identified make it possible to highlight tours of opportunities in the Atlantic area and definitive socio‑professional migrations, particularly towards the United States.

This paper explores faith, religiosity, and religious tolerance among elite women in 18th-century France and Poland-Lithuania. It reveals a deep attachment to God and providence, especially among Polish women, and their moderate anticlericalism. In both countries, like men, elite women supporting the Enlightenment advocated for peaceful coexistence between different faiths and supported public and/or private freedom of worship. While religious tolerance may have been less widespread among Polish women, the gap with France was likely smaller than it appears. In France, non-Catholic liberties developed gradually, whereas in Poland-Lithuania, this process—though less radical in the end—was disrupted by neighbouring powers. The latter imposed not only freedom of worship but also equal rights for Catholics and dissenters, threatening the position of Catholics in public life and amplifying the nobility’s fear of foreign influence, rooted in memories of wars against non-Catholics in the 17th and early 18th centuries. These conclusions align with broader research on the spread of Enlightenment ideas in Europe and highlight the value of using digital tools, such as Voyant Tools, in conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The paper analyses the symbolic representation of Louis XV, using the example of allegorical paintings created in Versailles during the struggle for the Polish crown. The subject of symbolism of power in the early modern period is becoming increasingly prominent in academic discourse, with numerous studies by art historians having been conducted on the topic. This paper employs a methodology of analysing the sources independently and comparing them with previous findings in the context of new research questions. Due to this approach, it is shown that the new images of the ruler conveyed a message that was aligned with the policies of the kingdom at the time.

The starting point of this paper is the ambivalent perception of laughter in medieval society. On the one hand, following Aristotle and Isidore, it is seen as an exclusively human trait. On the other hand, in line with Plato, most of the Church Fathers, and medieval theologians, it is regarded as an irrational reaction that reduces a person to the level of an animal, as well as a destructive, anti-social force – for Christian authors, mockery is the weapon of the devil. At the same time, modern historians emphasise the role of medieval laughter as a source of social cohesion and a means of exclusion. However, an analysis of three medieval literary characters experiencing ridicule and persecution during a crisis of alienation – Robert the Devil, Saint Jehan Paulus, and Amadas – clearly shows that these “laughter communities” are in fact ephemeral, built upon false assumptions and ignorance. A truly solid emotional community can be established only upon genuine values: compassion and spiritual joy, which, following the line of thought of Saints Bernard and Hildegard, stands in opposition to negatively connoted laughter.

According to Mikhail Bakhtin, fabliaux represent a genre in which carnivalesque laughter is strongly manifested; however, he does not elaborate extensively on this observation. The purpose of this paper is to study more closely the carnivalesque nature of the texts belonging to this genre. It becomes apparent that this nature reveals itself in a complex manner. On the one hand, elements of the carnivalesque are indeed strongly present; on the other hand, they are interwoven with aspects of official culture. This interplay both imposes certain limitations on carnivalesque freedom and, at the same time, contributes to the richness and depth of these texts.

The paper outlines the ambiguous attitude to laughter in the theatre after Molière’s death. In contrast to the audience, moralists and critics overwhelmingly condemned laughter in the theatre, but at the same time, most often referred to Molière, whose comedies were considered a model of comedy. Reflections by La Bruyère, Marmontel and several other thinkers show that Molière’s laughter was criticised and admired at the same time. In the 18th century, attempts were made to eliminate his farces, to give Molière’s humour a moralistic character, but at the same time, it was believed that no one after him could make the audience laugh so much or make them laugh at themselves. The more Molière was criticised, the more he became an icon, an unrivalled master of comedy in the theatre.

The Harlequin was, and remains, one of the most recognisable and emblematic characters of Italian commedia dell’arte. However, the character-mask transformations that took place over the course of his centuries-long presence on the stage took place primarily in France, where he became the favourite protagonist of countless screenplays and – from the 1720s onwards – of full-text comedies (Marivaux, Delsile de La Drevetière). His popularity was also ensured by generations of the most talented actors who played the role. The Harlequin gradually began to perform a variety of functions, including metatheatrical ones, and he maintained his popularity even during the French Revolution. In modern times, he has returned to theatrical life thanks to Giorgio Strehler’s exceptional staging in the Piccolo Teatro di Milano.

Written towards the end of the 18th century, The Story of My life is a major work by Giacomo Casanova in which the adventurer recounts his gallant adventures in a playful tone. However, after his London stay, which marks his crucial failure as a seducer, his subsequent experiences seem to become increasingly bitter, and despite his determination to maintain a good humor, the narrative loses its initial sparkle. The passages reflecting the episodes in Vienna in the 1760s allow us to observe a few discreet nuances in the memoirist’s writing. The narrative, usually filled with insouciance and gaiety, is tinged with a sadness that reflects the man’s weakening and awareness of his ageing. This article presents some of the writing strategies Casanova employs to combine humor and sadness in his narrative.

This study explored the primary factors Iranian book readers consider when selecting translated books, focusing on title, cover, publisher and translator. Drawing upon Jauss’s Reception Theory, a questionnaire with 44 questions administered to a random sample of 150 participants to examine the influence of these factors on book sales. Participants were presented with multiple book covers and asked to choose their preferred book, identifying the factor that most influenced their decision. The results revealed that the title was the most significant factor, while the translator was the least influential in the selection of translated books in the Iranian market. These findings provided valuable insights for translators, cover designers, publishers, highlighting the importance of prioritizing high-quality book titles and conducting targeted research to identify the most appealing titles for specific audiences. Further investigation into additional factors, such as price, and alternative book formats like e-books and audiobooks, could offer a more comprehensive understanding of Iranian readers’ preferences.

This paper offers insight into the interpreter’s experience of psycho-affective factors triggered, among others, by terminology, which is one of the most commonly cited reasons for interpreters’ negative assessment of their skills and expertise as well as for their declared lower interpreting performance and output quality. The first part of the study discusses interpreter competence and its subcompetences, along with a brief review of the concepts of psycho-affectivity and psycho-affective factors. The second part of the paper focuses on how terminology, an essential aspect of the competence of certified (sworn) interpreters who provide their services in highly specialised law-related settings (e.g. courts, police and border guard stations or notary offices), can evoke anxiety, language ego and stress in interpreters. The discussion relies on the data obtained for the study, concentrating on the psycho-affective factors experienced by the interpreters, their causes, and their manifestations. The research indicates that deficits in terminology and problems with its retrieval can activate psycho-affective factors, ultimately contributing to a lowered quality of interpreting performance and target-language output generated by the interpreter.

The article presents an analysis of interpreting strategies employed by a simultaneous interpreter in sermons delivered during selected services at the First Baptist Church in Wrocław. The first part of the article provides a theoretical framework for the analysis, including an overview about the history of church interpreting and various perspectives on the definitions of interpreting strategies. The second part of the article contains the methodological background for the analysis, detailing the methods of data collection, the characteristics and analysis of the collected material as well as the conclusion. The analysis shows that simultaneous interpreting performed in a religious setting is characterized by considerable complexity and challenges.

Beginning with the assumption that stories about trees are, at heart, stories about people and that arboreal elements carry the sense of community identity – thus becoming engaged in a rich dialectic with humans – the article explores the notion of arboreal kinship as portrayed in Thomas Hardy’s The Woodlanders and George Eliot’s Adam Bede. Focusing on these works, I showcase how trees act as an essential framing element of both plots, one that not only enacts various narrative collisions but also provides the characters with vital identitarian anchorage, consequently enhancing their presence in the text through associations with folklore and memory. Thus, I emphasize the mythopoetical function which the sylvan realm fulfils in the two works, as well as the tangible influence it exerts on its denizens. Indeed, by characterising the treescape as a seat of tensions which impinge on the human mind as well as on the body, I demonstrate that the narrative interactions between the two entail the characters’ dissolution, which in both novels corresponds to death. Arboreal kinship is thus stamped with paradox, for it simultaneously constrains and expands the concept of the human presence within the landscape, exposing the perishability of the body while also indicating its vicarious persistence through arboreal narration.

Since language for specific purposes addresses immediate and very specific needs of learners, it can be classified as a very challenging aspect of foreign language learning and teaching. It is understood as much more difficult for students as the so-called general language that is strictly connected with communication in terms of a huge variety of everyday life’s situations. When it comes to LSP, some more advanced knowledge is required. Without that background knowledge it could become very difficult or even impossible to move forward regarding a certain foreign language learning. The author of the following article is a LSP teacher that conducts lectures for such fields of study as economics, logistics, management, administration and national security. She describes her LSP teaching experience as well as recommends a case study method as a way of dealing with different challenges regarding LSP. The paper also presents some examples of case studies created by the author.

In the early post-war years, an important role in the popularization of German‑language literature in Poland was played by Marcel Reich-Ranicki, who was only just gaining the ranks of a literary critic. But, even then one can recognize his fascination with literature and the characteristic polemical style of the future “pope of literature”. Before Ranicki leaves Poland in 1958, however, we find few of his texts devoted to literature from Switzerland. Above all, Ranicki concentrates on discussing the works of writers such as Gottfried Keller, Hermann Hesse and Max Frisch published in Poland at the time, authors who soon thereafter entered the canon of European and world literature. The severely limited view of literature from Switzerland may be due to the fact that Ranicki treats the works of other authors as entertainment literature and, as in the case of the omitted John Knittel, from the need to displace a kind of unwanted community of fate.

Herta Müller, the Nobel Prize winner, repeatedly tries to portray characters in her works who have problems with their own identity. Her essays are also dedicated to this problem in relation to the writer’s German-Romanian past. Her texts have a deeply thought-out but also strongly subjectively coloured background, which is linked to Müller’s biography. With her German-Romanian past and the feeling of always standing between the two peoples, the writer creates works in which the search for identity and homelessness are elevated to an important problem. Also significant is the recurring motif in Müller’s work of the generation of fathers associated with the Second World War, which is reflected upon by their offspring. This article attempts to show how the problem of the multi-layered identity of the individual is presented in Müller’s texts using selected examples.

This article analyzes the portrayal of Galician Jews in the diary entries of Austrian officer Hugo Huslig (1878–1941), who served on the Galician front during World War I in 1914. Huslig often depicts the Jewish population through the lens of the “stranger“. Georg Simmel’s concept of “strangeness“ is instrumental in understanding Husligʼs oscillation between proximity and distance toward the Jewish community. The author frequently describes the Jews as typified representatives of their culture, highlighting differences in religion, lifestyle and social behavior. Over the course of the war, Huslig’s view becomes increasingly ambivalent and sometimes critically dismissive of Galician Jews. This analysis sheds light on how such portrayals reflect the cultural and social tensions of that period, contributing to a deeper understanding of wartime perceptions.

The article discusses Maria Stona’s travel activities at the turn of the century, which she reflected in her prose and journalism. Her short-term trips to the cultural metropolises of the German-speaking area (Vienna, Berlin, Munich) often had a business purpose – namely, authorial readings. Stona devoted longer periods to health-improving stays in various European spas (Alt-Schmecks/Starý Smokovec, Karlsbad/Karlovy Vary, Scheveningen). In addition to rest, Stona also used numerous shorter and longer trips for cultural activities – she was mainly interested in fine arts, music and theatre. Her trip to Egypt is of particular importance. In her travel texts, she left us interesting memories of the travels of a member of the upper middle class who crossed the borders of her native province to expand her education and worldview.

This study analyzes the correspondence between Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein to explore how scholarly letters functioned as hybrid spaces of scientific dialogue, political negotiation, and personal identity formation. Focusing on their recently published letters (1922–1932), the paper reveals a central tension: while both scientists championed international cooperation through the League of Nations, their approaches diverged sharply—Einstein retreated from institutional politics amid rising antisemitism, whereas Curie persistently advocated engagement. Through close analysis of rhetorical strategies (e.g., Einstein’s shifting salutations vs. Curie’s restrained formalism), the study demonstrates how gender norms shaped epistolary self-presentation. The letters also expose science’s moral dilemmas, as seen in their joint mentorship of marginalized researchers like Salomon Rosenblum. Ultimately, this correspondence transcends private communication, embodying the fraught relationship between scientific ideals and historical crises in the interwar period.

This study analyzes the correspondence between Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Albert Einstein to explore how scholarly letters functioned as hybrid spaces of scientific dialogue, political negotiation, and personal identity formation. Focusing on their recently published letters (1922–1932), the paper reveals a central tension: while both scientists championed international cooperation through the League of Nations, their approaches diverged sharply—Einstein retreated from institutional politics amid rising antisemitism, whereas Curie persistently advocated engagement. Through close analysis of rhetorical strategies (e.g., Einstein’s shifting salutations vs. Curie’s restrained formalism), the study demonstrates how gender norms shaped epistolary self-presentation. The letters also expose science’s moral dilemmas, as seen in their joint mentorship of marginalized researchers like Salomon Rosenblum. Ultimately, this correspondence transcends private communication, embodying the fraught relationship between scientific ideals and historical crises in the interwar period.

The article deals with the novel by Manja Präkels entitled When I ate snap cherries with Hitler (2017). The text describes the reality of the former GDR before and after German reunification from the perspective of a young person, Mimi Schulz. The aim of this analysis is to show Manja Präkels’ novel as an important voice for a deeper understanding of the complexity of the situation, especially of young residents of the former German Democratic Republic. It also examines the rhetoric of remembering negative aspects of German reunification, which is often at odds with the authorities’ official interpretation of the issue. In this context, the thesis is formulated that Präkels’ text can be seen as the exact anatomy of neo-Nazism in today’s Germany and its cultural and social background.

The key task of the criminal judge is to render a judgment in a case brought to trial by the public prosecutor’s office. He or she does so by first pronouncing the judgment orally at the conclusion of the adjudication proceedings. Not later than five weeks thereafter, the judgment must be filed in writing. The linguistic requirements for this document are very high. The judgment should be precise, unambiguous and, above all, understandable to non-lawyers. In the lecture, the author will analyse German criminal judgments in order to determine which linguistic tools in the fields of lexicology and stylistics can help to achieve the aforementioned objectives and which cause the contrary.

This article examines the works of Carl Hauptmann (1858–1921) through the lens of the correspondence and writings of his two wives, Martha Hauptmann (née Thienemann) and Maria Hauptmann (née Rohne). Drawing on over one thousand extant letters from Martha and nearly three hundred from Maria, the study highlights how these texts serve not only as intimate documents of personal life but also as critical sources for understanding Hauptmann’s creative processes, intellectual milieu, and aesthetic self-conception. While Martha’s letters reflect a partnership marked by critique, intellectual exchange, and eventual estrangement, Maria’s correspondence emphasizes empathy, stability, and co-authorship. Together, these perspectives illuminate the interplay of biography and artistic production within the broader cultural networks of Worpswede and Schreiberhau.

Caspar Cunrad, Christian Cunrad, doctor, poeta laureatus, funeral poem, plague In the early modern period, the profession practiced, such as doctor, lawyer, civil servant or theologian, was at the centre of the social order. The poetic work that these representatives of the urban elite and at the same time members of the Silesian Republic of Letters enjoyed, however, was seen as a secondary occupation and a kind of vocation that they could pursue in their free time. The Breslau physician and poeta ceasare laureatus Caspar Cunrad is a good example of a scholar who enjoyed great recognition in the Silesian metropolis for his professional and secondary activities. The following text illustrates this with the help of funeral poems by his sons, with a focus on the most famous of them, Christian Cunrad, also a physician and poet. A monument is created with a strongly emphasized commemorative function, which is erected to the father by the son and is a testimony to learned poetry.

With the evacuation of the Breslau children’s hospitals in January 1945, the clinical care of sick children had collapsed, although many children had remained behind or returned to the self-destructing ‘Fortress Breslau’. The health services were tightly organized and maintained with the remaining doctors. After the capitulation, the remaining German pediatricians continued to work until Polish pediatrics, which had largely been trained at the same school, established. The University Children’s Hospital was destroyed, but the Municipal Infant Home was preserved and became a nucleus of Polish post-war pediatrics. Connected with names that have remained unknown outside of Poland, such as Hanna Hirszfeld, Helena Tarnowicz-Barlicka, Tadeusz Nowakowski, Hieronim Bartoszewski and many others, Polish pediatrics in Breslau continued to develop, a fact that has been largely ignored due to old resentments and post-war developments in the West.

The article discusses the father’s mourning gesture mentioned in The Legend of St. Alexius. The author analyses the relationship between the father Euphemianus and his son Alexius. Despite earlier critical assessments of the Polish legend as primitive, the researcher refers to the significant analyses by Paweł Stępień regarding the complexity of feelings and dilemmas that concern them. Euphemianus, presented as a devout Christian, struggles with an internal conflict when his love for his son becomes an obstacle to his devotion to God. The culminating moment is the meeting on the bridge, during which Euphemianus does not recognize Alexius, which symbolizes his spiritual blindness. The gesture of covering his head with a cloak by Euphemianus is interpreted as a manifestation of deep sorrow and a reference to mourning practices. The author also draws attention to the role of non-verbal communication in medieval narratives, emphasizing that gestures in the legend not only fulfil a symbolic function, but also significantly influence the understanding of interpersonal relations and experienced emotions. In the text Euphemianus’ gesture illustrates his tragic struggle between his love for his family and his duty to God.

Included among the important topics of the work of Austrian prose writer Peter Rosei are the problem of human alienation in the modern world – a chaotic space, a lack of ethical norms and brutal competition – the motif of the „silent catastrophe“ of individuals (vagrants, prostitutes, the unemployed) in the labyrinth of the modern city, the question of regulation and legal limitation of an individual’s existence and that of entire communities under the conditions of a totalitarian state, the issue of the complex relationship between humanity and the hostility of the natural world, the category of a real and an imagined journey as a basic symbol of human destiny, the theme of a specific experience of fear and of escape from reality deep inside oneself – into the imaginary world of fantasy, oneiric dreams or drug-induced hallucinations. This last motif reappears in the pages of the mini-novel Who Was Edgar Allan?, acknowledged both by critics and by a wider readership, and adapted for cinema. This work, which combines the genre characteristics of the diary of a drug addict and of a crime novel with his typical noir figure, is also a record of the Venetian adventures of an anonymous student of medicine and art history. This article examines the key topics of the novel: foreignness, drug addiction, self-destruction, procrastination and the alienation of the individual in the environment of the Venetian metropolis, in addition to escape, with the aid of drugs and alcohol, into imaginary worlds.

The main aim of this article is to present Alois Vogel’s perspective on the political and social situation in the interwar period in Austria in his selected short stories. In these texts, the writer revisits, among other things, the July revolt of 1927 and the suppressed workers’ uprising of February 1934. These events led to the seizure of power by the authoritarian rule of the ‘Ständestaat’ (1934–1938) and eventually – against the intentions of the ruling elite – to the annexation of the country by the Third Reich. As in the novel Refractions, Alois Vogel reports events from the perspective of the so-called ‘common man’ and analyses their impact on people’s daily lives, describing the intensification of antagonisms and social conflicts. Also in terms of the plots used, the character palette and the narrative technique employed, the stories show similarities to Vogel’s novels Refractions and Total Blackout.

The aim of this paper is to thoroughly investigate the history of the conversion to Buddhism of the yaksha (Pali: yakkha, Sanskrit: yakṣa) Suciloma (Pali: Sūciloma) following his conversation with the Buddha, as presented in the Pali Canon (Saṃyutta Nikāya 10.3; Sutta Nipāta 2.5), as an example of Buddhism’s assimilation of earlier cults. The figure of Suciloma appears to be particularly interesting compared to other yakshas in the Pali Canon, among other reasons due to the narrative part of the sutta about his conversion, which includes the yaksha’s motivations; the key questions he asks the Buddha; the extensive story of his previous life from Buddhaghosa’s commentary; the fact that his abode was placed in Gaya (which is very important for Buddhists) and that his relief adorned the stupa at Bharhut. Although monographs dedicated to yakshas often mention Suciloma, his story may still raise many questions. In this paper, I aim to investigate the following issues: the yaksha’s name compared to other demons’ names (Suciloma literally means „with sharp hair on the body/ with needle-like body hair“); the behavior of the Buddha when yaksha comes near; analysis of the Suciloma’s questions and the Buddha’s answers; additions to Suciloma’s story in the Buddhaghosa’s commentary. I will primarily analyze original Pali texts from the Theravada Canon along with Buddhaghosa’s commentaries and semi-canonical Jataka tales, using philological method. Investigating this history will shed some more light on the character of Suciloma and will help determine the status of yakshas in Buddhism, how they were perceived, and how this perception changed over time.

Michael Zeller, a German writer and poet born in Breslau, has devoted a significant part of his literary talent to exploring issues related to German-Polish and German-Ukrainian cultural relations. In numerous prose and lyrical works, the author focuses on the literary engagement with the concept of the „Other,“ which until 1989 Zeller associated with the bloc of communist states. As the writer himself, who was socialized in the Federal Republic of Germany, emphasizes, the boundary of the Other was, for him, an internal German division, marking the beginning of the East.

This article examines selected excerpts from the works of writers with Silesian roots. These excerpts contain descriptions, portraits, memoirs, reports and poems related to the railway. This brief imagological sketch presents a selection of works by authors such as Joseph von Eichendorff, Gustav Freytag, Gerhart Hauptmann, Hans Marchwitza, Horst Bienek and Janosch, which are available in Polish. The article also provides insight into the history of railways in Silesia and German high-speed trains of the 1930s.

The starting point for the linguist is the text. A text is a collection of (linear) experiential elements. The identification of these elements as functional elements, and above all as meaningful (pragmatic) elements, is based on experience. While experience is constituted by the sensual properties of an individual, these properties are not sufficient for the identification of the functions of these elements, and thus also for the relations that a learned linguist presumes when analysing a text. If sensory properties were sufficient, then, for example, the object ‘red rose’ or the expression red rose would have to deform the brain of an individual leaving there a red mark. The materialism resulting from this conundrum is fortunately overcome by the logical properties of that individual. These properties form the basis for linguistic analysis. Do they constitute the first stage of this analysis?

Already in the 1980s, literature on the teaching of foreign and second languages began to recognize the importance of learner strategies and self-directed learning, while simultaneously highlighting the need to support language learners in reflecting on their beliefs and knowledge about the learning process – that is, on their metacognitive knowledge. One of the key components of metacognition is metacognitive monitoring, understood as the process of tracking one’s own learning and undertaking appropriate actions to overcome difficulties that may hinder this process (Flavell, 1981). Monitoring thus constitutes a fundamental condition for effective learning, enabling the development of self-regulatory competencies and fostering a reflective stance among learners. This article examines metacognitive monitoring in the context of a single foreign language lesson – specifically, a German as a foreign language lesson. The proposed approach does not aim to present a comprehensive didactic framework; rather, it offers a conceptual perspective on metacognitive monitoring and outlines potential directions for instructional practices within the microstructure of the lesson that may facilitate the activation and support of this process.

Complement clauses in Italian and Spanish following verbs of thought represent one of the contexts in which the disparity in the use of the congiuntivo and subjuntivo moods is most clearly revealed. The aim of this article is to analyze these differences in the context of evidentiality, understood as a factor conditioning modal alternation. Unlike Italian, where the congiuntivo occurs in both affirmative and negative clauses, in Spanish the use of the subjuntivo is restricted to clauses with negated main verbs. This contrast stems from differing criteria for modal selection: in Italian, the key factor is the subjectivity of the utterance, whereas in Spanish, it is the presence of grammatical operators such as negation. However, the analysis of complement clauses introduced by the verbs credere / creer and pensare / pensar, as presented in this paper, reveals that the divergence in mood distribution between the two languages is not solely attributable to distinct modal mechanisms, but also to more complex dependencies related to semantic polyphony—particularly the nature of the relationship between the speaker and the source of information.

The article diagnoses the problem of the negative attitude of Polish philology students towards grammar, which is perceived as a difficult and impractical subject. Based on a conducted survey, it points to the main causes of learning difficulties, such as poor grammatical preparation from prior schooling, high academic requirements, an excess of new topics, hermetic scientific language, and psychological factors, including reluctance and low motivation. As a solution, the author proposes an integrated didactic model. It combines the functional approach, which emphasizes the practical use of language in communication, with the “slow” approach, which promotes a slower pace, reflectivity, and a supportive learning atmosphere. The combination of these methods, supplemented by proposals for systemic changes, aims to increase the subject’s accessibility, build student motivation, and counteract the syndrome of learned helplessness.

The article analyzes metaphorical extensions of verbs of body position change – pochyliæ siê, przechyliæ siê, przychyliæ siê, nachyliæ siê, odchylić się i wychylić się – in combination with prepositional phrases. It focuses on key cognitive mechanisms (metonymy, concretization, contextual inference, metaphorization) that motivate the emergence of different meanings, and on the relationships between literal and figurative senses. The aim of the work is to identify spatial patterns underlying the analyzed meanings and to explain how the interaction of elements within the studied constructions (prefix, prepositional phrase, landmark type) shapes the evolution of meanings from literal to abstract, referring to the mental, emotional, and social spheres. The analysis, using tools of cognitive linguistics and empirical data, demonstrates that motor experiences, grounded in image schemas, systematically motivate the emergence of abstract concepts (e.g., agreement, respect, care, submission, distinctiveness).

I am addressing the reader for two reasons. First, I want to draw attention to certain archival materials which, although personal in nature, may shed some light on the circumstances of historically significant events. Specifically, I will focus on the so-called struggle for Polish schools, the school strike, and the beginnings of the 1905 revolution in the Polish territories. Second, I believe this material provides a good foundation for drawing broader theoretical conclusions about the mechanisms of historiographic narrative formation. In this case, it concerns modernism. Using several related concepts from aesthetics and literary theory (style, mood, modality), I attempt to capture the specific character of narratives about revolutionary and strike events. I pay particular attention to the various modalities through which new events and social phenomena are framed.

The article discusses the subject of speech disorders caused by neurological disorders – in speech underdevelopment of cortical origin and caused by hearing loss – in speech underdevelopment due to hearing loss. It emphasizes the importance of precise speech therapy diagnosis in the context of differentiating speech disorders resulting from damage to the central nervous system and damage to the sense of hearing. The article is based on the current scientific achievements of speech therapy and emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to the patient with speech disorders. It refers to historical and contemporary classifications of speech disorders, with particular emphasis on the systematics proposed by Mierzejewska and Emiluta Rozya. The examples of two five-year-old boys show similarities and differences in etiology, diagnosis and perspectives of therapy. It also discusses the adaptation of the therapeutic program to the basis of the disorder.

The deciphering of a long ‑ standing mystery by the German scholar Franz Heiduk – namely the cipher “C. H.”, the initials used by the refined Wrocław poet Christian Hölmann – once offered hope for intensive research in this area. Unfortunately, for nearly fifty years, Hölmann and other refined Silesian poets have awaited scholarly attention and rediscovery. Christian Hölmann, the author of 170 poems included in the fourth volume of the largest Baroque anthology of poetry – primarily by Silesian poets– which he himself published, made an undeniable contribution to the development of the refined style in 18th ‑ century German literature. Also significant in assessing the author’s profile is his work as an infectious disease physician, saving plague victims, including in the Polish border town of Wschowa.