A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 2007 (Debrecen, 2008)

Kéziratos források - Várhelyi Ilona: 1800-1825-ből származó, ismeretlen kéziratos gyűjtemény Sárospatakról, Csokonai emlékekkel

Ilona Várhelyi AN ANONYMOUS COMPILATION IN MANUSCRIPT FROM SÁROSPATAK FROM 1820-25, WITH TEXTS RELATED TO CSOKONAI In spring 2008 the Literary Museum came in possession of a 216-page anonymous compilation in manuscript. The present study gives a description ofthe compilation, treating both its formal features and content. The full thickness ofthe booklet bound in cardboard is 20 millimetres. Presumably, it was written by different hands at different times. There are empty pages between the different units. The pages were not originally numbered. According to content, the compilation can be divided into 5 different units. The first one is the translation of Epictetus' works; the second unit contains poems, among others a love epistle reflecting Csokonai's spirit and a poem titled Csokonay V. Mihály halálára (On Mihály Csokonai V.'s Death), the text of which is published in the study in a letter-perfect transcription. The third unit includes unified genre poems, an epigram and the copy of a well-known epic literary work titled A'Mennyei Diaeta vagy Az Istenek Osztozása. The fourth unit is made up of life wisdoms, a true story, and, finally, two witty epigraphs. The last unit ofthe manuscript is an epic poem of considerable length. The compilation gives a colourful picture ofthe general knowledge and literary taste ofthe period between 1800-1825. Its further analysis may enrich the research of Csokonai's reception with new findings and additions.