Will “In Desert and Wilderness” fall off your reading list? “Just ask simple questions”

began pre-consultations on changes to the core curriculum for general education on February 12. One of them is removing “In Desert and Wilderness” by Henryk Sienkiewicz from the reading list. Students would be asked to read only selected fragments instead of the entire text. This project has met with criticism and resistance, especially among right-wing commentators, who often talk about it as if the book would disappear altogether. The former Minister of Education calls potential changes “Poles from Polishness”, and MP Paweł Lisiecki should read Sienkiewicz to children themselves, because, in his opinion, “Ministry Nowacka’s school” will turn students into “semi-illiterates”.

“In Desert and Wilderness” not on your reading list? Expert: Every book can be spoiled

We asked Ryszard Koziołek, Ph.D., the author of the book “Cia³ Sienkiewicza. Studies on Gender and Violence” that won the Gdynia Literary Award, and a former member of the jury of the Nike Literary Award, to comment on the matter. In his opinion, the book should remain in school at the primary education level, but it should be discussed in a different context than before.

Justyna Bryczkowska: What do you think about removing “In Desert and Wilderness” from the school reading list?

Prof. Ph.D. Ryszard Koziołek: I think this is a wrong decision. There are not many texts in classic Polish literature that would show the mechanisms of colonialism in various aspects so well. When it comes to the representation of different races, Sienkiewicz’s work shows European colonialism, especially English, because we are in English Africa. Let us not forget that Poles also participate in these colonization processes through the figure of Staś Tarkowski’s father, who is an engineer working for the English. Secondly, we have the Arab perspective, which we observe in the people of Staś and Nel’s kidnappers, and we also have the indigenous perspective of African tribes represented by Kali and Mea. We also have representatives of other European nations, for example a Greek who at one point is an advisor to Staś, or a Swiss Linde. Multicultural perspectives are therefore highlighted in “In Desert and Wilderness”, which allows us to pose the problem of colonialism from the perspective of different nations. This is one thing.

And the second?

This is an analysis of how races and cultures are talked about in the novel. What does “colonial narrative” mean? How does this belief in the superiority of one race over another arise? In other words, it is a text that allows students to be shown how to critique colonial discourse. So the argument that this novel should not be included in the reading list because it presents a colonial point of view is only partially correct. Yes, this novel is racist in places, it privileges Europeans, it does not hide the fact that from Sienkiewicz’s perspective the white race is privileged, better, more civilized. There is no doubt about it. But this is precisely why it has value from an educational point of view, because it allows students to develop a critical perspective.

How?

I believe that school reading should have two poles: affirmative and critical. The student should be exposed to texts that build an attitude of approval for specific behaviors and language that shape him positively. They do it by saying: this is good, this is the right thing to do, this is the right thing to do. But the readings should also enable the student to develop the ability to critique various phenomena. Not only in such a simple way that we see attitudes worth condemning, or simply vile or evil, because then the student only follows what the author or narrator tells him about the world and how they value it. Something more is needed.

Students also need to learn to criticize their own pleasures. Even if a certain attitude arouses our sympathy or attracts us, we should be able to criticize it. It’s nicer to ride an elephant than to walk, but it’s worth asking why Staś rides an elephant and Kali doesn’t? It is true that Kali rides a horse, so Sienkiewicz alleviates the disproportion, but it is the white man who is riding the elephant.

What could such a lesson look like?

Sometimes, asking such simple questions as why Mea is called Moja in Latin and why neither Staś nor Nel ask what her tribal name is, can in a very simple and quick way show the student the phenomena we are criticizing. It can create in the student the ability to critique what once seemed obvious. It can teach him that it is not so obvious and results from unjustified differences, such as preferring a specific race/ethnicity. I believe that we are losing this opportunity by withdrawing “In Desert and Wilderness” from the reading list. My postulate is that before we throw something away, let’s think about what to give in return, because we are missing out on a well-written colonial adventure game on which we can practice criticism of colonial ideology.

So how does “In Desert and Wilderness” compare to other novels from the era?

The stereotypes in this novel are easy to spot and can therefore be introduced into the classroom discourse. Students can be taught what colonialism is, how it arises, how it manifests itself in language, and what colonial stereotypes about various races and cultures are.

Once we remove it, the question must be asked, how will we teach about it? Because with boring school language and tasks such as “write a definition of colonialism” or “why it is not allowed to use such and such terms to refer to people with different skin colors?”, we will bore students and discourage them from exploring the topic. However, simple questions like “What is the name of Kali’s friend and why?” or “Why does Staś ride an elephant and Kali doesn’t?” In my opinion, this question can be asked to children in the first grades of primary school and draw their attention to the inappropriateness and unfairness of various phenomena. Thanks to this, the first critical reflection is triggered, so I wouldn’t wait until my teenage years to do so.

I remember reading “In Desert and Wilderness” at school and the discussion about this book certainly did not look the way you just presented. I have the impression that this was not included in the interpretation of the reading before.

This is a question for universities, for teacher education, for guidelines on how to manage school reading. You know, you can take Dostoyevsky or any modern book and ruin it too.

Prof. Ph.D. Ryszard Koziołek – literary scholar, essayist, professor at the Institute of Literary Studies of the University of Silesia. In 2010, he received the Gdynia Literary Award for the book “Ciała Sienkiewicza. Studies on gender and violence”, and in 2016 his book “It’s good to think about literature” was awarded the Silesian Wawrzyn Literacki. In 2017, he was the winner of the award. Kazimierz Wyka for outstanding achievements in the field of essay writing and literary and artistic criticism. From 2012 to 2015, he sat on the jury of the Nike Literary Award. He is a regular contributor to “Tygodnik Powszechny”.