Reifications of the Future. On the Role of Things in Erna Rosenstein’s Poetry

Abstract

The author analyses selected poems by Erna Rosenstein that still need to be discussed using methodologies from the field of study of things. The main aim of the text is to draw attention to Rosenstein’s progressive thinking about things, which is discussed in the example of three poetic texts. The author proves that post-humanist sensitivity is connected with the artist’s biography. The author argues that Rosenstein’s wartime experiences were decisive in treating things in a way reserved for people. Her strategies can be seen as a clear advocacy for a vision of the future that is based on respect for what is different and different , as well as concern for human and non-human beings. Rosenstein, writing about things (a quilt, a couch, an armchair), uses the technique of personification, which is sometimes criticized by scholars commenting on new concepts of things in the contemporary humanities due to its low cognitive value. In her literary project, things gain agency and enter into long-term relationships with people due to the degree of intimacy. Their lives, Rosenstein argues, are not limited to satisfying human needs, as evidenced by some texts. Convinced of their autonomy, the artist sketches forward-looking scenarios for living in a diverse community whose members remain independent and devoid of the obligations resulting from their positions.