Teodor de Wyzewa in relation to his masters
Abstract
The paper analyzes Teodor de Wyzewa’s critical writings (collected in Nos Maîtres) and literary texts, paying special attention to his attitude to those whom he considered his masters. The evolution of Wyzewa’s ideas shows that this adept at Wagnerism gradually distanced himself from those who had influenced him, replacing the intellectual approach to art and blind faith in science, regarded as worthless, by an aesthetic and ethical ideal. In the novel Valbert ou les Récits d’un jeune homme, Wyzewa describes a move away from alienating idealism towards a spontaneous attitude to life. His new interpretation of biblical parables abandons Schopenhauer’s philosophy in favour of the Tolstoyan movement (Contes chrétiens). The search for moral values is connected with a break with Symbolist thought for the benefit of a religion of love and beauty. Formulating his own teaching, Wyzewa surpassed the authority of his masters, without, however, diminishing their significance for his generation.
Keywords:
Wyzewa, Wagnerism, Schopenhauer’s philosophy, science, religion, beautyReferences
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