Miłość od pierwszego wejrzenia w "Nad Niemnem" (Eliza Orzeszkowa)

Summary

The script discusses the National Reading of 'Above the Niemen,' exploring themes of love and communication in 19th-century Polish literature. It delves into the subtle expressions of affection between characters, using songs and indirect language as a metaphor for their feelings. The narrative focuses on the complex love dynamics of John and Justina, highlighting the challenges of understanding and reciprocating love across different social languages and customs.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses the National Reading of 'Above the Niemen,' highlighting its significance in Polish literature and its association with romanticism and positivism.
• 🔍 It emphasizes the importance of closely reading the text to uncover the secret code of affection between characters John and Justina, akin to elements found in detective stories.
• 🎶 The use of songs and traditional expressions is a key method of communication and a way to express feelings in the story, especially for character Jan.
• 💔 The script explores themes of unrequited love and the complexities of relationships, including the tragic past of Martha and Anselm.
• 👀 Jan's feelings for Justina are subtly expressed through his actions and words, often indirectly, which requires careful reading to understand.
• 🌿 The script mentions the use of nature, such as the game of echo, as a setting for characters to express their feelings, providing a safe environment for emotional revelation.
• 📖 The contrast between the love languages of the village and the noble court is highlighted, showing the characters' struggles to communicate their feelings across cultural divides.
• 🤔 The characters' internal monologues and dialogues reveal their thoughts and feelings, providing insight into their motivations and the intricacies of their relationships.
• 👰 Justina's character is portrayed as serious and thoughtful, suggesting that her decision to give her heart would be a significant and genuine act of love.
• 💍 The script concludes with a moment of tension and decision-making for Justina, who is faced with a marriage proposal and must consider her feelings for Jan.
• 🔚 The story ends with an unresolved question about Justina's feelings and her final choice, leaving the audience to ponder the outcome.

Q & A

What is the significance of the National Reading of Above the Niemen in the context of Polish literature?

The National Reading of Above the Niemen is significant as it is associated with a certain ennoblement and an important moment in the history of Polish literature, often focusing on romanticism and positivism.

Why is the nineteenth century literature emphasized in the National Reading?

The nineteenth century literature is emphasized because it carries historical importance and is associated with ennoblement, making it a key part of the National Reading tradition.

What is the relationship between the characters John and Justina in the story Above the Niemen?

John and Justina are central characters in a love story that is subtly expressed through various scenes and dialogues, with John showing affection for Justina in a coded manner.

How does John express his feelings for Justina in the story?

John expresses his feelings for Justina through songs, particularly by altering the lyrics of a well-known song to convey his affection, which is a common practice in the nineteenth-century village setting.

What is the significance of the song that John sings to Justina?

The song is significant as it contains a secret code where John confesses his love for Justina. The last stanza of the song is changed to reflect his feelings, which is a metaphorical way of expressing love in their society.

How does Martha's past with Anselm relate to the main love story in Above the Niemen?

Martha's past with Anselm serves as a reflection and a parallel to the main love story between John and Justina, showing a repetition of love motifs and the tragic consequences of unrequited love.

What is the role of songs and dialogues in the communication of feelings in the nineteenth-century village setting?

In the nineteenth-century village setting, songs and dialogues serve as a metaphorical form of communication, allowing characters to express their feelings indirectly, which is especially important in matters of love.

How does the echo game that John plays with Justina reveal his feelings?

The echo game is a clever way for John to indirectly confess his love for Justina. By asking the echo to repeat the name of the person who is nicest to her, he is hoping that Justina will call out his name, revealing her feelings in return.

What is the significance of the different love languages used by John and Justina?

The different love languages signify the cultural and social gap between John, who uses the village's love language of songs and chants, and Justina, who is accustomed to the court's love language of poetry and salon forms. This difference creates a communication barrier that they must overcome.

How does the story Above the Niemen explore the theme of love and social status?

Above the Niemen explores the theme of love and social status through the characters' dilemmas and choices, particularly in the case of Justina, who must navigate her feelings for John while considering her social standing and the expectations of her court upbringing.

What is the climax of the story in terms of John and Justina's relationship?

The climax of the story occurs at Elizabeth's wedding, where John is forced to explain his feelings for Justina in a way that does not humiliate another woman, revealing the integrity of his heart and his deep love for Justina.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to National Reading and Love's Detective Story

The script opens with a discussion of the National Reading event, 'Above the Niemen,' highlighting its significance in Polish literature and its eleventh installment. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the nineteenth century in this tradition. The narrative then shifts to explore the theme of love, using a detective story structure as a metaphor to uncover the secret code of affection between characters John and Justina. The speaker suggests that clues to their feelings are embedded in the text, particularly in the scenes and songs that reflect their unspoken emotions.

05:02

🔄 Repetition of Love Motifs and Character Relationships

This paragraph delves into the recurring motif of love within the story, drawing parallels between different couples and their relationships to that of Justina and John. It discusses the tragic past of Martha and Anselm, and how their story foreshadows the challenges faced by Justina in her own romantic decisions. The narrative also touches on the love interests of other characters, such as Emilia and Benedict, and how they reflect the complexities of love in various forms. The speaker notes the subtle textual signals that reveal John's deeper feelings for Justina, despite her potential alternative suitors.

10:03

🎶 Expression of Love Through Song and Dialogue

The speaker examines how love is expressed in the narrative, particularly through songs and dialogues between characters. John's feelings for Justina are conveyed through his songs and monologues, which are filled with coded messages of his affection. The paragraph highlights a pivotal scene where John and Justina's first dialogue takes place, revealing John's observant nature and his contemplation of Justina's situation. The speaker also discusses the use of songs as a traditional method of communication in the nineteenth-century village setting, where direct expressions of love were often conveyed metaphorically.

15:05

💔 Conflicting Love Languages and Emotional Misunderstandings

This section explores the emotional barriers between John and Justina due to their different backgrounds and love languages. John's attempts to express his feelings through traditional village songs are met with misunderstanding, as Justina is unfamiliar with these customs. The paragraph discusses the challenges they face in finding a common language to express their feelings, highlighting the importance of mutual understanding in love. It also touches on the contrasting love interests of other characters, such as Sigmund's self-serving advances towards Justina, which she rejects, revealing her desire for genuine love.

20:06

🌿 The Echo Game and the Unspoken Love Confession

The final paragraph focuses on the innovative method John uses to express his love to Justina through an 'echo game' in a natural setting. This game allows Justina to indirectly confess her feelings for John, providing a safe space for her to declare her love without direct confrontation. The speaker reflects on the significance of this moment and how it brings them closer together. The paragraph concludes with the unresolved tension between the characters, as Justina's engagement to another man leaves the outcome of their love story uncertain.

Keywords

💡National Reading of Above the Niemen

This refers to a literary event or tradition focused on the work 'Above the Niemen' by Adam Mickiewicz. It is significant as it is an eleventh occurrence mentioned in the script, indicating its importance in Polish literature. The reading is associated with ennoblement and a historical moment, suggesting a sense of pride and cultural heritage.

💡Romanticism and Positivism

These are two literary and philosophical movements. Romanticism is characterized by its emphasis on emotion, individualism, and glorification of the past and nature, while Positivism is a philosophy based on empirical evidence and logical reasoning. In the script, the speaker mentions a strong adherence to these movements, indicating the influence of these ideologies on the characters and themes of the narrative.

💡Detective Story Structure

The detective story structure is a common narrative technique where individual scenes are revealed that are later pieced together to solve a mystery. In the script, the speaker compares the unfolding of the love story between characters to this structure, suggesting that clues to the characters' feelings and intentions are subtly presented throughout the narrative.

💡Secret Code

A secret code in this context refers to a hidden or cryptic method of communication. The script mentions a secret code in the form of a song sung by the character Jan, which is a metaphorical way of expressing his affection for Justina without directly stating it, thus creating an underlying layer of intrigue.

💡Echo

In literature, an echo can be used as a metaphor for communication or a reflection of one's feelings. In the script, the game of echo serves as a safe and indirect way for Justina to express her feelings for Jan, highlighting the theme of unspoken love and the struggle to communicate emotions.

💡Status

Status refers to the social or professional position of a person or group. In the script, Martha's fear of losing her status by marrying Anselm is a significant plot point, illustrating the societal pressures and the impact of class distinctions on personal relationships.

💡Love Motif

A motif is a recurring theme or element in a story. The love motif in the script is the central theme, with various forms of love presented, such as romantic love, unrequited love, and the love between different characters, all contributing to the complexity of the narrative.

💡Courtship

Courtship refers to the period of a couple's development towards marriage, often involving social rituals and expressions of affection. The script discusses the use of songs as a form of courtship in the nineteenth-century village setting, where direct expressions of love were conveyed indirectly through cultural practices.

💡Language of Love

The language of love in the script refers to the different ways characters express their feelings towards each other. For Jan, it's through songs and village customs, while for Justina, it's through the refined language of the noble court. The lack of a common 'love language' creates a barrier in their communication.

💡Intrigue

Intrigue in literature often refers to a complex, often hidden plot or story within a story. In the script, the intrigue is the underlying love story between Jan and Justina, which is subtly hinted at through various scenes and dialogues, keeping the audience engaged in unraveling the true nature of their relationship.

💡Vocative

The vocative is a grammatical case used to address someone or something directly. In the script, Justina uses the vocative when she calls out to the echo with Jan's name, indicating a direct address and a moment of emotional significance, as it shows her willingness to openly express her feelings.

Highlights

The National Reading of 'Above the Niemen' marks its eleventh year, emphasizing the importance of nineteenth-century literature in Polish history.

The reading includes a mix of classic and more recent works, with Bruno Schulz's story being the most recent addition.

A strong adherence to romanticism and positivism is evident in the selection of literature for the reading.

The story's structure is likened to a detective story, with individual scenes revealing clues to the unfolding love intrigue.

The secret code of affection between John and Justina is subtly introduced through a song sung by John.

Martha's recognition of the song's reworking signifies a deeper meaning and connection to the characters' past.

The coachman's introspective moment and song reflect his unspoken love for Justina, hinting at a tragic fate.

The theme of love is explored through various couples in the book, each echoing the central relationship of John and Justina.

The character Justina is faced with a choice between a life of love with John or societal arrangements with other suitors.

John's feelings for Justina are expressed through indirect means, such as songs and observations, rather than direct confession.

The use of songs as a medium for communication is a common practice in the nineteenth-century village setting.

Justina's lack of understanding of the traditional love language of the village creates a barrier to John's affections.

The game of echo serves as a safe space for Justina to express her feelings for John without direct confrontation.

The characters' love languages differ, highlighting the challenge of expressing and understanding love across cultural divides.

Despite the language barrier, true love finds a way to communicate, as seen in the eventual understanding between John and Justina.

The story concludes with Justina's refusal of a marriage proposal, maintaining the intrigue and leaving the relationship unresolved.

Transcripts

Good morning

It is that just this year

We will have in the National Reading of Above the Niemen.

This is already the eleventh reading, right?

But please note that for good measure

We always read the nineteenth century, which means that he is.

Maybe not that it's a favorite, because I

don't know that, but it's certainly associated somehow

with a certain ennoblement, with some such

important moment in the history of Polish literature.

Yes, there was literature, and there were also works that were a little more recent.

The most recent piece was O one of

Bruno Schulz's stories, but when you follow along, you will see the

It is precisely that we hold very strongly to romanticism and positivism.

Why Above the Niemen at all, and why love?

Well, because it's short, right?

Well, I came up with this idea

say that the case of love between John and Justina Above the Niemen is for good

matter the structure of a kind of

detective story, for the reason that when you read such a

A classic detective story based on a detective, for example.

Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie,

it is the individual scenes that show what is important, which will later be used

by the detective in the final scene to uncover the intrigue.

Here, of course, we will not have a murderer, but the intrigue is there.

That is, if we read carefully, it

It turns out that we can observe the secret code at the very beginning,

In which John expresses his affection for Justina, and she knows nothing about it.

Because if you notice one of those first scenes already, when Martha and

Justina return from church, I will not read these, these quotes.

I will discuss them, but

you can read it for yourself at this point, it begins as follows.

Martha and Justina return from church, talking.

This is such a start to the novel, all the relationships in the

Curtain and a carriage rides, on which

there are girls just nicely dressed carriages.

Jan. We don't know about that yet.

For now, all we know is that it is a coachman.

Anyway, everyone laughs, it's fun and suddenly

we only have this one piece of information

that the coachman is not watching and is thinking so

much to the point that his head, which he had previously held high, tilted a bit.

So far we don't know anything about it, but we guess how.

As we know the positivists, we know that there

Each sentence has its own weight, its own purpose and meaning.

As a result, we wonder why exactly he is bowing this head.

And in a moment he begins to sing and sings a rather well-known song, of which

the last stanza changes, as he sings You are a maiden, you are a maiden at the

great court, and I will be a priest, and I will be a priest in the White Monastery.

Martha, who knows this song because she used to

sang it herself, she says There it is, you will be, not you are reworking old songs.

Jester doesn't like it, she doesn't like the reworking of the song text.

He thinks Jan doesn't know her,

But John thereby gives a signal regarding his own situation,

That is, he sings about what is going on in his heart.

You are a maiden turns to Justina and I will be a priest in the White Monastery.

Since I won't be able to get your love, my life will be just that.

In any case, Marta says.

Suddenly he adds such information Anselm

In the past, wherever it was, it would turn, singing.

There is the situation marking again that

we are dealing with the repetition of love.

That is, earlier, even before the January Uprising,

Martha and Anselm had feelings for each other, which was resolved tragically.

Martha has not decided to marry Anselm.

She was afraid of losing her status as well as his.

In fact, she was the only one who thought about status.

That is, in the sense that she did not want to go to the hero's eyes.

She was afraid of hard work, as she herself later

she said, but later, years later, she became bitter,

I admit, I was afraid of hard work, and this work and so very hard all my

life was, even though I remained in a noble manor.

So note that we have to

dealing with a certain repetition of the

motif, and in fact we have a repetition of this motif

many times more, because on a good note, each pair of

the married couple we meet or the couple in love we meet in this book,

somehow refers to Justina and to John.

Because there is, of course, still in the

background the love of John and Cecilia, the progenitors of the family.

Characters. Here is the love I already mentioned

Martha and Anselm, but for good measure, any, any pair, that is, for example.

Emilia and Benedict,

or later Rose, what does she know, all this also situate Justina in such a

As if a circle of love, which is implemented differently.

And Justina has to make a certain choice.

We remember that in addition to John, there are two more users.

That is, one deal would be with Sigmund

Korczynski, meaning Justina would become his mistress.

And the other arrangement is to look after

With Morphine's little grandfather, with this one, meaning rich.

Theophilus Rozycki But back to our deal

Criminal, that is, to certain textual signals that say.

John feels more than he says at the very beginning.

There's another scene, that is

scene, when Justina, slightly upset by the situation at her namesake's house

Emilia Korczynski goes out for a walk in the field.

There he meets John, who works on the

farm, and there the first dialogue between them is established.

When suddenly Jan, during this

conversation, says I have known this for a long time that the maiden there does not

it's always fun, people's depths clog me, and also the face of the man will win.

Sometimes already a maiden, although from afar, and often sees.

He admits here that he is watching her for some reason.

In a few sentences, she says that not only her

observes, but also has thoughts about her situation.

And it's quite so profound, because it tells people the depths to plug me.

What does this mean? He knows Justina's situation very well, he knows

The situation of Justina Virgo, who is not

wealthy, with a father who has had a lifelong

a lover who has lost money, so he knows her situation is anything but cheerless.

But immediately, almost upon meeting them, he says

I watch you, I look at you, I see you, I look at you.

After which it quickly begins, as if

withdraw, because he says Doesn't the missus get angry that I'm doing this?

And then he repeats When he does not see in her

face or her words of reprimand, says the maiden and cannot know that I

on the maiden sometimes I look at and different thoughts come to my mind.

He says here exactly what is happening to him.

He says here exactly

about their feelings, which we also can't say about them directly, of course.

He only points out that she is much closer to him than she can imagine.

Then Justina goes to the characters of the audience and finds out that the

there is a woman that all of us with Johnny with a fantasy.

She even asks about it.

And he backs off.

He says he does not like her, that she is not to his taste.

He even talks about her being so fat that.

That this is not the woman for him.

And then there is another scene when there is a dialogue using a song.

A typical procedure or situation for

precisely a nineteenth-century village,

when certain communications that could not be

spoken directly, are accomplished in metaphorical form, i.e. through songs

A man sings to a woman or a woman sings to a man.

And there follows a response that makes the community understand whether they

are toward each other, do they like each other?

Was there an expression of consent to further courtship in this song, such as.

And it turns out that it seems that John is responding to the

On this song, but in fact he sings again to Justina, Consequently,

if we just read the text, as if observing only the dialogues, a

Even the monologues of primarily John in the first part, primarily

John's monologues and all his speeches, including those sung.

It turns out that he confesses his feelings to Justina at every turn.

And please note at this point that he,

When here he mused on the cart, when when he met Justina so close returning

of the Church, he just started with a song.

Something that is customary.

That is, he made contact with the help of

songs, he was revealing the state of

facts, the state of his spirit and also just his feelings.

Justina could not answer this

song because, first of all, she did not know it, she did not understand the song.

Only Marta understood her and noticed

text change, that this song was not neutral.

She didn't understand her, as she said Oh, the jester changes the words of the song.

Of course, she didn't even think about it

is the same situation as hers and

Anselm's, that here is a confession of feelings.

John is all the time uncertain that Justina has any feelings towards him.

She is raised in a different system.

She is brought up in the court.

There, the language of love is shown quite differently.

Please note that there we have it recounted also, that is, when the

We talk about the past love of Justina and Sigmund,

That is, when Sigismund did not yet have a

wife, they had such affection for each other

very youthful, but this affection was shared.

And now they communicated with each other in the manor using poetry.

Folk song and poetry, of course.

For all intents and purposes, it's the same thing.

This is just a change of a certain form, a certain convention.

Feelings are manifested in the same way every time.

Anyway, when Orzeszkova shows it is John's songs and this earlier speech

poetry, a volume of poetry just handed over to the Curtain from the

Sosnowiec, she also degrades this volume

of poetry, because Justina, holding it in the

hands, explains the situation and asks Sigmund What do you propose?

Are you just offering me an immoral arrangement to become your mistress?

Did you see the look on your wife's face?

Does Justina then also refer to herself

and asks, Am I able to withstand the gaze of this wife of yours?

And at the end, he scoffs at him, saying precisely that his expectations are not

is true love, but just something dirty.

Let's remember, of course, that Justina knows exactly what she's talking about.

In her house it was.

Her father very often had some of Teresa's mistresses.

So Justina is well aware of the humiliation she would face,

If this particular one had acceded to the situation.

When he scoffs at the sentiment.

Of course, these feelings of Sigmund in quotation marks.

These are not feelings, this is it.

Rather, it is to provide comfort. Wife him lightly.

He is bored all the time.

His wife bores him.

As a result, he decides to return to the

arrangement with Justyna, only already in a new

unveiled not a youthful feeling that was interrupted, adults interrupted it then,

But just as if to provide excitement for

the mind, what is he talking about all the time?

When we are dealing with Zygmunt Kopczynski's inner monologue, it is

all the time there is one, one intrusive phrase I am bored.

So this feeling that he manifests to Justina is a feeling.

Such self-interest out of boredom.

Accordingly,

When he straightforwardly arrives with a

volume of poetry at the Curtain, Justina ridicules him.

He then rejected, says to her But of you a simpleton.

She did not appreciate the wonderful feeling I had,

Which I can bestow on you, while having a wife.

But notice the fact that I return here

to the quote on our slide that these feelings need to be able to be expressed.

You need to be able to express them, and

Also language that will be understood by both sides.

Because John already knows that when he

sings, there is no way Justina can make him

understood, because she is next to this tradition.

She is unaware of the customs of the time hero.

She doesn't know that this is the way people profess their love for each other.

On the other hand, he does not know her way of expressing

love, that is, he does not have the poetry to give her.

Which he could present to her.

He keeps trying to find

such may not be the way to Justina's

heart, because he already realizes that something there is

happening, but would like some natural confirmation of them.

Their this link.

Therefore, he chooses again, please

State, something of its order, because, after all, this order of the nobility

Justina talking about various things does not know.

Accordingly.

He takes Justina, has just complained

about the Nemunas and sailed to such a place where the

It is in the environment of nature that he offers her a kind of game, a game of echo.

That is, Miss Justina, let the echu

He will say, that is, he does not say Please tell me.

He sort of tries to be transparent there,

He without speaking as if his name, just let the lady

The echo will say, meaning we say No, here it is not.

Say this to the echo of the name that is the nicest in the world for you.

I ask for everything.

Please call the one who is nice to you.

Please note that she is really strongly asking for it.

He repeats several times how important it is to him and she suddenly realizes too,

That this is the moment when she can expose herself, because she's sort of.

Safe.

That is, even if she shouts something,

Which would not find understanding in

John, yet he knows that there is something between them, the

can always say that it is simply something shouted in an echo.

And she is just very touched, because she

knows that here she is just declaring love.

And note that all these gestures

The songs of St. John's until now have

been such gestures behind the curtain, that is, they were songs, they were

some such broken sentences I maiden, come from afar

sometimes, then I'll see that I look at the maiden and think a lot about it.

These are curtain sentences.

He only signals that he is somewhere

nearby, that he is watching her, that he is looking at her.

On the other hand, he has never directly declared his love, only increasingly

created an impression of closeness, a certain understanding between them.

The most important moment for this agreement

it was, of course, at Elizabeth's wedding, when suddenly just his stricken love

attacked him when he had to explain it all.

The situation was very embarrassing for

everyone, but at the same time he had to explain it in such a way that Justina also

she did not feel affected in all this and that another woman was not humiliated.

So that Justina would sort of see the integrity of his heart.

So Justina with each new situation

approaches John, which, incidentally, at

one point is noticed by Martha, who in the evening,

When Justina comes home, she says You don't think you can play.

You don't think you can play with other people's feelings.

And he presents her with his story, his

feelings and Anselm, wondering in the process,

Whether Justina doesn't do exactly the

same thing as Sigmund, only on a slightly different basis.

Of course, Martha doesn't know what Sigmund is doing,

But notice, here again is such a reflection.

As I said earlier about the fact that we are just dealing with a reflection of the

The love of John and Cecilia, Martha and

Anselm and then just more of John, Justina and those

Of all the side arrangements, Yes, here Martha is not aware either

what is going on with Sigmund and Justina, but speaks to Justina about Jan.

He says yes Do you think they don't have

feelings, that you are the only one who is the maiden of the

The mansion, which will entertain and then go its own way?

Justina answers them then We, in turn, guess.

That Justina knows about John's love and also knows what her answer would be,

because then it's all still in the future in hypothesis.

But it's already for good when we can read.

So again we have this further information to

final explanation of the intrigue, then we guess that Justina is really

in love with Jan and says to Marta very sharply What are you thinking auntie?

And Justina is besides the point.

There is such a scene there earlier,

When it turns out that Justina is a very serious person.

Justina does not like such prolific, shallow jokes.

This is the scene where Kirill tried to

ridicule her father and she walks in with the dog and

He says This is a dog that knows how to make art.

Please play with him.

I take my father.

So Justina is a serious person.

And this also gives us additional information of the hidden kind,

That if Justina decides to give her heart to someone, this would be it.

Seriously, this won't be any joke, it won't be

Some entertainment, fun, only just will be a decent, true love.

And that's why he can safely entrust the echo with Janek's name.

And turns to the vocative Janku, Janku.

And once again he repeats and once again so

As he repeated this request, so she repeats this name.

And note that she is beautiful.

She, because she just doesn't quite

understand yet whether there will be that answer or

she did well to shout the name, but she is still trying to talk to that echo.

That is, blushes appear on her face.

She is perplexed. What happens if he doesn't answer it?

To this my call that just the kindest to my heart is Janek.

It turns out, of course, that the signals they were giving each other,

Without realizing their own intentions.

Because notice, they were kind of foreigners

toward each other, they do not speak the same language.

Jan had the love language of the village, i.e. songs chants ami legends.

On the other hand, she had the love

language of the noble court, expressed just

through poetry, through certain salon

forms, but despite the lack of a common language, when the

started talking, not talking, let's remember true love.

They turned out to be able to.

This is where I will repeat it despite the lack of a common language to communicate.

Of course, at the very end is the question of when she should accept the proposal?

Rozycki says she refuses because she is engaged.

And that is where the story ends.

When Justina says I don't have my mother's ring.

Thank you to you.