Autobiografia Literatura Kultura Media

The subject of deliberation is a piece of six funeral sermons from 20. and 30. of 17th century written by Jesuit Jakub Olszewski who reminds Samuel Pac, Anna Sapieżanka Radziwiłłowa, Bishop Eustachy Wołłowicz, Priest Jan Karol Białłozor, Krzysztof Mikołaj Sapieha and Gryzelda Wodyńska Sapieżyna. The purpose of the study is to present how and how much the preacher introduces biography of the deceased in the concept of funeral sermon, determining how much interesting for him is a real biography, and how much the attitude, as well as executing the moralistic plan. To what extend Olszewski uses established by Quintilian eulogy scheme and how much he extracts from a model known from historiography. Praising the deceased Olszewski refers to heraldic symbolism, he also uses loci given by Quintilian. As important the preacher considers also recalling testimonies of heroic faith, which he draws from confessors of the deceased. Olszewski by creating personal patterns pursues to achieve his parenetic objective. In practice the preacher gives information telling about: genealogy, individual life experiences (in case of men – about their public activity), practical piety, moral virtues, charity, fundatory activity and pious death. Therefore, the preacher does not set an objective to present biography of deceased person, but sketches personal patterns of representative models, which are given by fate of a deceased. Speaker teaches auditors the art of good life, as well as he presents demeanors worth imitating. Olszewski thus combines scheme given by Quintilian with the elements of scheme known from hagiography. He presents the pattern of sanctity available to everyone. His biographies have a laudatory-parenetic profile.