Jan Maximilian Fredro, Alexander’s Brother: The Tragicism of an Artist and a Man

Abstract

Jan Maximilian Fredro is the elder brother of Aleksander Fredro – the “father of Polish comedy”. The work of this artist is always mentioned only occasionally, and the only edition of his works was published two centuries ago – in 1837. This collection of “Tragedies” contains three dramatic works: “Dido”, “Harald” and “Wanda”. His dramaturgy is evidence of the immersion of his work in the Age of Enlightenment.He borrowed the “Dido” motif from Virgil's “Aeneid”, which he even attempted to translate into Polish. The events of "Harald" take place in Sweden at the beginning of the 14th century. The work combines Swedish and Polish motifs. The conflict of the piece is built on family curses, secret vows, the bloody passions of blood feuds, love, and hatred.

The drama “Wanda” is dedicated to the legendary queen of the Lechites, the daughter of Krak. She is forced to choose between her vows to the gods and her love for Rüdiger, the leader of the Marcomanni, who, having arrived near Kraków, offers her marriage and peace. She remains faithful to her vow and defeats the enemy. Her life must be the offering of gratitude to the gods for the victory. Therefore, Queen Wanda drowns herself in the Vistula.

His work has not been studied not only for reasons of its artistic value, but, apparently, also because of the political perspective of his life. Therefore, it is worth considering his biography in the context of the creative work of his brother Alexander. For years, he remained a thoughtful reader and friendly critic of his younger brother's comedies, trying to follow the latest trends in the development of modern European literature, especially French.

The tragedy of the character of Jan Maximilian Fredro was primarily in the fact that he, an officer in the imperial army of Napoleon Bonaparte, after the Congress of Vienna, went to serve the Russian empire. He did not achieve artistic fame – neither with his unpublished poems, nor with several dramas, nor with translations from French literature. However, his artistic taste, friendly criticism undoubtedly influenced the flowering of the talent of the playwright Alexander Fredro. The figure of Paraskovia Fredro, his wife, influenced the religious worldview of her niece, writer and painter Sofia Sheptytska.