The motif of the river in literary works published in the magazines of the „Nasza Księgarnia” Publishing Institute between 1945 and 1989.

Culture, patriotism, propaganda, entertainment

Abstract

The article discusses the motif of the river in children’s literature published in the magazines of the Nasza Księgarnia Publishing Institute between 1945 and 1989 (Miś, Iskierki, Świerszczyk-Iskierki, Świerszczyk, Płomyczek, Płomyk). The research consisted of analysing the content of selected texts published in popular periodicals, taking into account the historical and social context. In the works under consideration, this motif served various functions: from a realistic plot background to a metaphorical representation of the changeability of life, borders, community, and civilisational progress. The river, present in the Polish landscape as a geographical and cultural element, created a space of a recreational, educational, emotional or symbolic nature in the message addressed to young audiences. The research conducted shows the diversity and evolution of representations – from highly conventionalised images of rivers subordinated to ideological discourse and propaganda, to more poetic and subtle approaches with playful, cultural or ecological accents. The Vistula and Oder rivers played a special role as symbols of the state, history and economy, while smaller rivers appeared less frequently, mainly in regional and educational contexts. The motif of the river thus appears as a multidimensional element of the message addressed to children, integrating natural, social and ideological perspectives. The identified patterns of river imagery allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms shaping the consciousness of young audiences in the political conditions that existed between 1945 and 1989. They also point to the durability of the river motif as a carrier of cultural and educational values that transcend time and ideology.