Self-Creative Projections of Death in Zygmunt Krasiński's Correspondence

Abstract

Among Zygmunt Krasiński’s experiences described in detail in his correspondence and illustrating his way of dealing with depression, a special attention should be given to the manner in which he feels, describes and relives death. The presence of the funeral themes in Krasiński’s letters is probably the most important indicator of his illness, one that confirms its scale and severity. For Zygmunt Krasiński, death is not only the horizon of the upcoming future, but also a real everyday life experience – its presence is seen in the suicidal thoughts, in wish to escape linked to the inability to cope with real life challenges and also in dying, which is reflected in aboulia, anhedonia, boredom and withdrawing from life Engulfed in death, Krasiński goes through the pain of his own existence and cannot free himself from suffering, at the same time looking at his own life with an excellent indifference.