Petőfi szabadságfogalma

Abstract

Liberty" is perhaps the most frequently used and quite frequently misinterpreted word in Petőfi s poetical vocabulary. This study aims to reveal the different levels of meaning behind the uniform word-usage. At least five meanings of "liberty" can be distinguished as follows: 1. the individual's instinctive, emotional longing for freedom; 2. political and social liberation; 3. national independence; 4. the idea of the liberty of the world; 5. the salvation of man and mankind in the name of liberty and human dignity. In most cases Petőfi creates a complex meaning but one of these five types is predominant. Using the word "liberty" and its meaning as a starting point the study examines Petőfi's main political ideas and gets to the conclusion that his way of thinking was far from being saint-simonist but he was very close to the ideas of Babeuf and the later buonarrotian thinkers.