Pająk. O wyobraźni twórczej Józefa Ignacego Kraszewskiego (wstęp do rozważań)

The basis for this essay is the reconstruction of meaning of the spider’s metaphorical image. The spider in the 19th century has become a word-signal evoking the melancholic worldview. The early works of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski are interpreted here as a testimony to his fascination focused on German fantastic literature (including the prose of E.T.A. Hoffman ), in which this motif is also employed. The suggested interpretation of the lesser known works of "An Ancient Tale’"s author is an attempt at reconstructing the creative imagination of Kraszewski, in which the image of a spider in a web, as a symbol of a person drawing from within, are associated with the comfort the writer finds in the creative process while constantly struggling with the sorrow for the past and the feeling of loss.