Space of solitude in culture

• Main Author: Agnieszka Małgorzata Kulig
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Lower Silesia 2014-04-01
• Series: Forum Oświatowe
• Subjects: kultura; melancholia; samotność
• Online Access: http://forumoswiatowe.pl/index.php/czasopismo/article/view/51

<p class="ForumOwiatoweTekst">In my article I suggest looking at the phenomenon of solitude in culture not only as an opportunity to study an intimate and individual experience, to which numerous descriptions refer. I would rather consider whether possessing knowledge about this experience we acquire competencies regarding the culture in which this solitude has occurred. The discourse of melancholy, for which the space of solitude and confrontation with the ultimate has been the natural environment, supports me in describing the space of solitude in culture. For the purposes of reflection, I initiate my own definition of solitude as a space between life and death. That space allows the individual to feel the energy of life and the presence of death, even in such moments of human life (youth) when the individual is not fully aware of their role in society, and is in the process of crystallizing their identity. In this case, solitude as a space <em>between</em> would be a state of suspension, which, however, prepares for active, independent life in the community. In this article, I refer to the postulate of the German culture researcher Thomas Macho in order to treat the experience of solitude as a context, an opportunity to practise techniques of culture, as well as to heterotopic space as defined by Michel Foucault.</p>