The Peasants

Description

Each of the four parts represents a season in the life of the peasants – Autumn (published in 1904), Winter (published in 1904), Spring (published in 1906), and Summer (published in 1909). This division underlines the relationship of human life with nature.

Main characters

• Maciej Boryna – the richest man in the village and the main character of the novel.
• Antek Boryna – Maciej's son, husband of Hanka
• Hanka Boryna – Antek's wife and a mother of three children
• Jagna – a beautiful 19-year-old girl and the main female character of the novel.

Family Tree and Relationships of Selected Characters at the beginning of the novel

Main themes and events

• The conflict between Antek and his father which is connected with a piece of land and a beautiful woman – Jagna.
• Hanka's struggle to salvage her marriage and family.
• The poignant story of the farmhand – Jakub.
• The unrest sown by the attentions of assorted men of the village toward Jagna.
• The tension between the peasants and the nobility, over the disputed sale of the peasants' forest.
• The patterns of the peasants' lives closely tracking the seasons.
• The beggar Old Agata and her transit into and out of the village corresponding with the passage of the seasons and the tenacity of life.

Customs and traditions

The Peasants deals not only with the everyday life of people, but also with traditions connected with the most important Polish festivals.

1. Traditions connected with wedding and marriage:

• preparation for a wedding and a marriage
• decoration of a dance-hall
• the cutting of a bride's hair (symbolic of starting a new life)
• the first dance during a wedding is dedicated to bride
• wedding games etc.

2. Traditions connected with Christmas:

• baking cakes, cooking Christmas meals
• selling of holy wafer by carol singers
• Christmas supper
• going to the church for midnight mass

3. Traditions connected with Easter:

• breaking of Lenten fast
• dyeing eggs
• “wet Monday”

4. Traditions connected with everyday life:

• pickling of cabbage
• spinning of wool
• following of folk wisdom to plant agricultural crops

Art movements included in the novel

Impressionism - a style in painting developed in France in the late 19th century that uses colour to show the effects of light on things and to suggest atmosphere rather than showing exact details. In the book we can find impressionism in the descriptions of nature. Naturalism - a style of art or writing that shows people, things and experiences as they really are. In the book naturalism is used to present everyday life. The most famous fragment of the book when naturalism is shown is when Jakub – the farmhand - is cutting his leg. Realism - a style in art or literature that shows things and people as they are in real life (detailed descriptions of nature, traditions, everyday life and heroes). Symbolism - the use of symbols to represent ideas, especially in art and literature (the scene of the Maciej's death, which symbolises a strong relationship between people and nature).

English translations

The novel was first translated into English by Michael Henry Dziewicki and published in 1924.

A new English translation, by Anna Zaranko, was published in November 2022.

Screen adaptations

The Peasants was adapted for the screen in 1922, 1972, 1973, and 2023.

A 1922 film adaptation was directed by Eugeniusz Modzelewski; all copies (even incomplete ones) were lost during WWII.

A 1972 TV miniseries adaptation was directed by Jan Rybkowski, who also directed the 1973 film adaptation.

In 2020, it was announced that an animated film based on the novel was to be released with a full trailer revealed. The film is directed by Dorota Kobiela and, much like her previous film Loving Vincent, the film is entirely rotoscoped with paintings. The world premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2023, in the Special Presentations section.

References

References

1. "The Peasants".
2. Milligan, Mercedes. (August 6, 2020). "'Loving Vincent' Director Reveals New Hand-Painted Project 'The Peasants'".
3. (12 July 2023). "The Peasants".