THE MYTHS AND SYMBOLS OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN CULTURES (Mity i symbole Europy w kulturach Europy Srodkowej)

In Central Europe culture played a fundamental part in creating social bonds and the shaping of identity. Myths and symbols present in literature, painting and music possess a strong political connotation. In contrast to the western part of the Continent, which with the assistance of literature created myths and symbols endowed with a universal quality, in Central Europe they are always firmly associated with national history. The difficulty of studying that which transpires in Central Europe stems from, i. a. the overlapping of the 'western' and 'eastern' models, from which assorted features are borrowed while adding one's own, original solutions. This state of affairs calls for exceptional alertness, since the evolution of Central Europe is the resultant of choices and the direct surrounding, often known as the 'geopolitical situation'. The presented text is an attempt at analysing several myths and political symbols envisaged as the mechanisms of identity and difference. This concrete question - the attitude towards memory and oblivion - is shown as an example of the profound difference between the cultural psychology of Central Europe and the West, Europa felix.