Representations of priests in Russian and Polish literature in the 19th century and their social conditioning

Abstract

This article compares the representation of clergymen in Russian and Polish literature of the 19th century, with a special focus on its second half. It looks to demonstrate that these portrayals combined everlasting characteristics resulting from their orientation to the archetype of Christ as the High Priest with those characteristics more socially conditioned; which ultimately transformed European society’s relationship with the respective Churches. Despite numerous differences, Polish and Russian literary representations of priests also bear several similarities in terms of how the Christian Church and its clergymen strove to achieve social engagement on a Pan-European level.