A Guide to the Heavens : The Literary Reception of Herman Hugo's "Pia Desideria" in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Abstract

This is the first monographic study of the reception of Herman Hugo's emblem book Pia desideria (1624) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It discusses ten different translations and adaptations, showing how the engravings, elegies and exegetical extracts of the original edition were used by Polish-speaking authors. Attention is also given to the reception of the engravings in paintings. Furthermore, the author examines the reasons for the book's popularity, proving that it was determined by the interest of women who did not know Latin, yet constituted the most important target group for the numerous and varied Polish adaptations.