Nie dla nich romantyczny Parnas? (słów kilka o mowach pogrzebowych)

This article tries to show that research on Romanticism should focus not only on “high” literature. The subject of discussion is funeral speeches published in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) in the Romantic time period. Not only did they use to be one of the forms of re-cording memory of the dead ones, but also prepared the reader to “meet” Romantic literature (by means of quotations, cryptoquotes, telling about A. Mickiewicz and Z. Krasinski’s life and career; introducing them into social awareness). They also proved vitality of Romantic topos (prophet, suffering motherland, poet). The paper presents closer the horizons of the reader’s expectations, as well as traces the pervasion of legends and Romantic myths into the way the biographies of heroes of funeral ceremonies are presented. One can see experiencing the history and nation, which leads to exploration of community identity, reception of reality as if “filtered” by sacred standards and the presence of cultural universe – a fusion of religion and patriotism common to all Pol-ish people.