„Rozmiłowanie w niespodziankach”. Sienkiewiczowskie warianty anagnoryzmu

Although  the use of anagnorisis in literature dates back to ancient times, it is still easily found in Henryk Sienkiewicz’s works. Aristotle defines anagnorisis as "a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune". This literary device appears in almost all novels by Sienkiewicz and is always aptly incorporated in a way which is a logical consequence of the events and which leads to revealing some kind of mystery. Coupled with dynamic plot, remarkable protagonists, and devices typical of Walterscottism, it accounts for the attractiveness of Sienkiewicz’s works. Most frequently, it is a recognition of a character be it against their will or at their volition, but also self-recognition, a moral or ideological initiation. The most excellent ones include anagnorisis in Whirlpools (solving the secret  of Agnes Anney), in Sir Michael (unmasking Asia), and in The Deluge (Kmicic’s rehabilitation). In each novel the anagnorises used have intended impact on the reader and induce the empathic effect of Catharsis.