The Image of English Physical Culture in Polish Literature up to 1795

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of themes related to English physical culture in Polish literature up to 1795. The aim of the research was to identify which elements of English physical culture appeared in Polish works of the era and whether any of these elements were particularly popular. An attempt was also made to determine the influence of English physical culture on Old Polish customs and traditions related to physical culture. The source material included travel accounts, memoirs, press, and other contemporary works. The first part discusses English physical culture in the accounts of Old Polish travelers, the second part analyzes the presence of English physical culture in the press of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth period, with an emphasis on horse racing and associated gambling. The third part is dedicated to themes of English physical culture appearing in other contemporary works, including geographical literature and stage plays. The analysis reveals that English physical culture appeared in almost all contemporary literary forms, although the audience for these works was primarily the upper social classes. The source analysis also indicates that while some English customs related to physical culture were reflected in Polish practices, this influence was limited and mainly affected the aristocracy. However, there is no evidence of the widespread adoption of these practices in pre-partition Poland. The article concludes with a reflection on the limited and impermanent nature of English physical culture’s influence, which only began to gain broader social acceptance, albeit not without resistance, in the latter half of the nineteenth century

Commonwealth · English culture · English literature · Human physical appearance · Physical culture · Target culture · Central European national history · Classical Studies and Philology · Sports, Gender, and Society