Doskonała poezja jako wizja człowieka doskonałego : epopeja w ujęciu Macieja Kazimierza Sarbiewskiego

The article presents the relationship between the epic poem understood as the ideal of poetry and the vision of the ideal man in De perfecta poesi by Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski. According to him, the epic poem is supposed to present the reader with the model of an ideal life, while its form is conceived to reflect its content: its narrative should be constructed in such a way as to showcase all ideal aspects of the protagonist’s life. The article argues at the same time that Sarbiewski uses the concept of the ideal in three different ways: the epic poem – just like any other literary texts – represents the ideal when it is written in such a way that if one were to remove or add an element, the result would be inevitably detrimental; when it contains a complete picture of reality, because it touches upon both the human and the divine; and when it presents its protagonist as easily balancing active and contemplative life