The eponymous inter esse means the elusive "third" position of that which lies between, that which escapes unambiguous classification and constitutes the essence of Romanticism. The book provides a constellation of texts, a clash of case studies that provide contrasting views of Romanticism, shifting between inspiration and virtuosity (Hugo and Mickiewicz), feminine poetry and the fantasy of femininity (Desbordes-Valmore and Z michowska; de Nerval and Krasin´ski), along with optimistic versus pessimistic-even nihilistic-reactions to disenchantment with the Enlightenment (Novalis, Krasin´ski, Malczewski, Macha, Bonaventura, Buchner, Goszczyn´ski).
'Siwiec's comparative analysis ... juxtaposes the familiar with the foreign, taking Polish and foreign-language writers under critical literary scrutiny. As a result, we receive a study that is not only exceptionally insightful, original, and engaging for the reader from the very beginning but also composed almost mathematically, striking with its transparent order.'
- Jerzy Jarniewicz, University of Lodz
