Satire in Jan Rak’s poetry

Abstract

Jan Rak was born in Husów within Łańcut County to serf parents – Szymon and Jadwiga. He is the author of about 120 poems dedicated to his own life, the life of country dwellers and the situation they found themselves in. Satire, especially political, is one of the four genres he was writing in, and 'Zapust w roku 1864' is a prominent example of such writing. Rak paid special attention to abstract satire, which aimed at deriding negative features of human nature. Moreover, 'Jakieś czasy' is a satire on Galician magazines, whereas 'Wiek XX' describes social and historical realities. Rak’s satires are supposed to ridicule human vices and misdeeds and, at the same time, call for betterment; which is why truth and aspiration to education were put on a pedestal in Rak’s deliberations.