Challenging the reality – James MaCcracken as a lecturer at the Jagiellonian University (1946–1948)

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Abstract

The aim of this article is to take a look at the two years of James MacCracken’s work at the Jagiellonian University in the academic years 1946/1947 and 1947/1948. I would like to answer the questions: why were they crucial for English studies in Krakow and how did both sides (individual students and professors as well as the MacCracken himself) contribute from this short period. Last but not least, referring to the main title: why was MacCracken’s being in Krakow a form of challenging the reality in the post-War Poland. The main source I used are the letters he had used to send from Poland to the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York – of course, combined with other archive materials which have survived in Poland and the USA.