| dc.description.abstract | The paper discusses the genres of alternate history and uchronias, and their subversive potential as a literary aporia of politics and of the historical knowledge. The Point of Divergence as a pricipium of the genre is the primary way of criticizing history, understood as the past that has actually happened. Authors of alternate history reject the past, choosing plausible historical worlds instead, because the actual history is for them unsatisfying, traumatic and painful. Alternate histories are highly politically involved, as the choice of the POD uncovers the authors' dreams about the past, for instance by making the history of their own country or nation more successful and heroic than it actually was. It is shown, that the narration about the past in the alternate history genre depends on political and generational experiences of the authors. As an example, the editorial series „Zwrotnice historii" [“The Switching Points of History"], published by Narodowe Centrum Kultury [National Cultural Centre] in Warsaw, is analyzed. The series comprises among others: M. Parowski, Burza. Ucieczka z Warszawy 40 [The Storm. Escape from Warsaw‘40], M. Wolski, Wallenrod. These novels were written by writers who experienced the times of communism and censorship. As a result, nostalgia, essentialism, nationalism and the topos of “raising spirits" prevail there, the latter known in the Polish literature during the age of Partitions of Poland. On the other hand, Polish writers of the younger generation, such as Jacek Dukaj (Lód− “Ice"; Xavras Wy…ryn) and Szczepan Twardoch (Wieczny Grunwald− “The Eternal Grunwald"), tend to disdain nationalistic myths and to criticize heroes of Polish history such as Józef Piłsudski. It is also interesting to notice that authors originating from countries who won the WWII prefer criticizing modern society especially by inventing alternate scenarios of losing the Second World War (P. K. Dick, The Man in The High Castle; R. Harris, Fatherland], or by disavowing Christian churches and Christian religions (and sometimes other religions too) [P. Pullman, His Dark Materials; K. Amis, The Alteration; J. Inglot, Quietus]. The Glory of the Empire by Jean D'Ormesson, belonging to the uchronia genre, is an example of a general critic of the past combined with the capability of scholarly viable and credible reinventing it; D'Ormesson created a historical utopia built of archetypical, common historical plots. To conclude, it is discussed if the alternate history could be a convoluted, paradoxal way to restore historical facts as foundations of the academic history. Whatever the answer, this genre, making us to see ourselves in the false mirror of alternate histories, forces us to become more critical about the past as well as the present. | pl_PL |
