A Historical Novel
Historical novels are the most important part of Sienkiewicz's works. They changed him from one of the average writters to the most popular Polish novelist, they gave him an international fame after he had received a Nobel Prize for "Quo Vadis", they helped him to maintain financial independence. Oblegorek - the manor was given him by the Polish nation as a gift for a masterpiece of "Trilogy".
History was always his destiny even though his first short story "Niemowa tatarski" (Tatarian mute man) had a very bad critique. He was suggested not to take up historical subjects any more. The next novel "With fire and sword", was extremally successful and it opened the historical cycle called "Trilogy".
"Trilogy" has as its setling in XVIIth century when Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was still a powerful country. "Trilogy" was written when Poland was partitioned of three neighbouring countries. Poland didn't exist like a country and couldn't by showing as a powerful country. Sienkiewicz wanted to give hope and strength to his compatriots.
As a historical background for his novel Sienkiewicz chose the period between the death of the king Wladyslaw IV and the battle of Chocim."With fire and sword" showes the period of Cossack's uprising, "The Deluge" is about the Swedish invasion while "Mr Wolodyjowski" shows us the beginning of the war with Turks ( it contains famous description of 'blow up' of Kamieniec Podolski).
There are a lot of similarities between all three parts of "Trilogy". They are based on an interesting blending of imagiry and the historial events and the coexistance of historical and fictional character. There is always a hero-saviour on the Polish side, fighting against enemies with determination and self-sacrifice.
The fictional characters usually originate from real people of that time.
Two of them - Wolodyjowski and Zagloba appear through the whole story.
The plot, usually considered of particular stories of individual people strongly shaped by historical events, it's very similar for the three parts of "Trilogy". However is being told in so many variation, every story seems to be unique one. The main subject is usually a romantic love complicated by historial storms.
We can usually find an emotional "triangle". The woman is loved by a Polish patriot-hero, and the 'black character' desires her and captures. She resists our "black character" and she became faithful to him. Descriptions of adventures, of heroes, their brave, miraculous survivings and sacrifices, often reminds us of Homeric eposes, Medieval legends and eposes of Middle East stories.
Zagloba - this character combining features of Homeric Ulisses and Schakespearian Falsfaff, is a typical Old-Polish Sarmatian figure, familiar to everyone. This fat, half-blinded nobleman as a caricature of Sienkiewicz's noble knight, he is a coward and a full of tricks lier, pettifogger and drunkard. Despite of this fact Zagloba shows his possibilities and all positive feature of character in the most dramatic part of Novel. (He usually saves main character's life).
"Na polu chwaly" (On the fields of glory)
The novel was written between the years 1903 and 1950 was meant that to be a first part of the new historical trilogy. The plot was set of Jan III Sobieski's time and was a failed imitation of the "Trilogy". It received a very bad critique and never reached the popularity of Sienkiewicz other novels. On of the critics summarized it as a story about nine cavaliers who were in love with the same young lady and some of them went to the war against Turks.
"Legiony" (The Legions)
The novel was written in 1913-1914, after Stefan Zeromski had published his "Ashes" (Popioly) Sienkiewicz felt threatned by Zeromski's work as he new that "Ashes" were depriving "Trilogy" position of his creator.
The plot of novel treated of Polish Legion in Italy. It was created by general Henryk Dabrowski and it might be a part of Napoleon Army. Unfortunately Polish legions didn't fight against Polish enemies. It was sent at Dominicana Island to suppress Blacks' uprisings.