Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Mr. Nicholas Wisdom ' onMouseout='HidePop("61679")' href="/topics/English_language">English
, more accurately, The Adventures of Nicholas Experience), written in Polish
in 1776
by Ignacy Krasicki
, is the first novel
composed in the Polish language
, and a milestone in Polish literature
.http://univ.gda.pl/~literat/autors/krasic.htm
. During sojourns in Warsaw
, Paris
, and the fictional island of Nipu (based on Japan
, known to natives as Nippon
), the protagonist gathers numerous experience
s that lead him to a rationalist
outlook and teach him how to become a good man, and thus a good citizen. This rationalist outlook, often emphasized in Krasicki
's writings, constitutes an apologia for the Enlightenment
and physiocratism
.
The Adventures of Nicholas Experience offers a portrayal both of the 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
and of the broader European culture of the time.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, more accurately, The Adventures of Nicholas Experience), written in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in 1776
1776 in literature
-Events:* The United States issues its Declaration of Independence on July 4.-New books:* Elizabeth Griffith - The Story of Lady Juliana Harley* Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi - Edward Allwill's Briefsammlung* Ignacy Krasicki - The Adventures of Mr...
by Ignacy Krasicki
Ignacy Krasicki
Ignacy Krasicki , from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno , was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet , a critic of the clergy, Poland's La Fontaine, author of the first Polish novel, playwright, journalist, encyclopedist, and translator from French and...
, is the first novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
composed in the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, and a milestone in Polish literature
Polish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
.http://univ.gda.pl/~literat/autors/krasic.htm
Plot
Krasicki's novel is the tale of Nicholas Experience (Mikołaj Doświadczyński), a Polish noblemanSzlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
. During sojourns in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and the fictional island of Nipu (based on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, known to natives as Nippon
Nippon
Nippon is a native name for Japan, more formal than Nihon.Nippon can also refer to:-Company names:All of the following companies are based in Japan.*Nikon *Nippon Telegraph and Telephone...
), the protagonist gathers numerous experience
Experience
Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
s that lead him to a rationalist
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
outlook and teach him how to become a good man, and thus a good citizen. This rationalist outlook, often emphasized in Krasicki
Ignacy Krasicki
Ignacy Krasicki , from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno , was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet , a critic of the clergy, Poland's La Fontaine, author of the first Polish novel, playwright, journalist, encyclopedist, and translator from French and...
's writings, constitutes an apologia for the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
and physiocratism
Physiocrats
Physiocracy is an economic theory developed by the Physiocrats, a group of economists who believed that the wealth of nations was derived solely from the value of "land agriculture" or "land development." Their theories originated in France and were most popular during the second half of the 18th...
.
The Adventures of Nicholas Experience offers a portrayal both of the 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and of the broader European culture of the time.