Wpływologia
"Wpływologia" ("influenceology") is a Polish term that is sometimes used within the
theory of music, and even within general history. The term expresses skepticism about exaggerated attempts at tracking down alleged "influences" among artists, scholars
, and their respective works.
History
The term wpływologia was formed from the Polish wpływ ("influence") and from -logia, a Greek-derived suffix meaning "science."
The term was coined after
positivist turn that the humanities
had taken in the early 20th century.
The term wpływologia made light of certain
laws
. Positivist analysis saw these laws as being embodied in "influences" ("wpływy") obtaining among various writers and their works.
This view had led some positivist-influenced literary historians to propose outlandish theories concerning "influences" on specific literary works. Even the greatest masterpieces had sometimes been seen as mere recombinations of influences derived from earlier works, rather than as independent works in their own right.
See also
- Positivism in Poland
- Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
- Karol Irzykowski
- Comparative literature
Notes
- ^ Karol Irzykowski, Słoń wśród porcelany (A Bull in a China Shop), online version
References
- Janusz Sławiński, ed., Słownik terminów literackich (A Dictionary of Literary Terms), Ossolineum, Wrocław, Ossolineum, 1989.
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