Zbrodnia i kara w świetle wybranych listów i pamiętników drugiej potowy XVII stulecia

Abstract

Polish and foreign diaries of the 17th century disclose abundant information about the social perception of crime and justice. Theft, rape, murder and also cruel punishment for crime are all common in everyday living. There is, however, a clear-cut division of author interest - foreign authors are fascinated with theatrum of death, brutal shows of torture, which are often unfairly quoted as examples of uncivilised customs in Poland, a country that was exotic for them in those days. They seem to overlook the fact that the executions conducted in their own countries were far more brutal. In contrast, Polish commentaries are frequently sensational - there is more mention of crime and less interest in the criminal’s fate after he had been caught. The author mentions diary stories of the last decade of the 17th century focusing, first of all on the reports of K. Samecki, G.B. Fagiuoli and J. Poczobutt-Odlaniecki, who dealt with the topics extensively, colourfully and willingly. Prior reports, also those concerning the studied customs in other countries, constitute the contrastive background.