Enemies, intrigues, wraiths (Textbook narratives about Imre Madách and Erzsébet Fráter)

Abstract

Since the beginning of the teaching of literature in Hungarian, author portraits have been an important part of textbooks. However, in order to shape the character of authors, such statements are often made that greatly simplify their character and complex biographical events. This paper raises questions based on the portraits of Imre Madách and his wife Erzsébet Fráter, exploring the sources and contradictions of textbook claims about them.