Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jadwiga KOODZIEJSKA
Instytut Informacji Naukowej i Studiw Bibliologicznych, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Instytutu Ksiki i Czytelnictwa, Biblioteka Narodowa
KANON LITERACKI
WE WSPCZESNYM OBIEGU CZYTELNICZYM
LITERATURA
Kondek, St. A. (1999). Papierowa rewolucja: oficjalny obieg ksiek w Polsce w latach 1948-1955. Warszawa:
Biblioteka Narodowa
Siekierski, St. (2000). Czytania Polakw w XX wieku. Warszawa: Wydaw. Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Straus, G. (1999). Czytajca modzie. Pozaszkolne lektury licealistw warszawskich. Notes Wydawniczy nr 9
Straus G., Wolff, K. (1998). Zainteresowanie ksik w spoeczestwie polskim w 1996 r. Warszawa: Biblioteka
Narodowa
Szpociski, A. (1995). Kanon kultury w dobie wspczesnej. W: Kultura popularna literatura ksika
rynek. Forum Czytelnicze II. Warszawa: Polskie Towarzystwo Czytelnicze
Zasacka, Z. (2000). Wyobraenia ojczyzny i oblicza patriotyzmu w podrcznikach do jzyka polskiego dla szkoy
podstawowej w latach 1945-1990. Warszawa: Biblioteka Narodowa
ABSTRACT
Reflections about the development, evolution and influences of the Poles literary cannon are
focused on two threads: its authors communities, its educational impact and instrumental use of
the cannon to indoctrinate the society, and its functioning in the public reading. The reasons of
actually observed decline of the traditional perception of classic literature as the markup of the
social elite membership are analyzed. Attitude toward the book is discussed in relation to the
changes that have been accomplished in the structure of the Polish society since the 19th century up
to now. The author remarks that despite declining impact of the classic literature cannon and
dynamic development of new information and communication technologies, the thesis that we face
the end of the print age is not valid. Referring to the results of Polish reading studies, and in the
context of political, economic and cultural transformations, the author makes diagnosis of the
changes that occur in the book reach and the choices of adult readers. She indicates some
possibilities of public libraries in playing the role which inspires the interest of worthwhile
literature also nowadays, and emphasis that the libraries still are the institutions of the
dissemination of culture that have the wider extent of influence. This situation has not been
changed neither by widely spread TV nor by development of the Internet. Modern media make
searching and accessing information easier but they do not replace the literature in its role of
shaping personality, values and attitudes of individuals. Reading studies indicate that half of the
Polish population refers to books and the factors that differentiate the attitude to the book are: age,
education, place of residence, and occupation. The persons who read the most are the best
educated. At the same time, these persons have got also the best conditions for development, in
this the best access to the literature and computer technology.