Mostly Medieval

Volume 5 of the Beyond Language series is dedicated to the memory of Professor Jacek Fisiak, one of the titans in English historical linguistics in Poland and beyond. For over 40 years, he taught at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, where he established a stronghold of English studies in Europe. His efforts were appreciated with medals, awards, honorific titles, and mentoring positions amongst academic bodies. “The present In Memoriam volume undoubtedly counts among the all-encompassing and much-expected individual and collective acts of commemoration to recognize the authority of Professor Jacek Fisiak—the great scientist, the indefatigable Organizer, Manager and Mentor, relentless of any adversity or difficulty; the person whose countless contributions and merits in the history of Polish humanities – especially in the field of philological sciences and English studies in Poland – cannot be overestimated. […] On the one hand, the articles included in the volume yield a multidimensional testimony of the authors' scientific kinship with Professor Fisiak's broad scientific interests. On the other, they present a whole range of individual philological inquiries, starting from texts whose synthetic theoretical overtones prove the rich experience of their authors, through the articles of a more general nature, to prolegomena stimulating further in-depth scientific analyses. […]” (from the review by prof. Grzegorz Kleparski) In six parts, a tribute to Professor Fisiak’s life output, including his biography, writings, and personal memoirs by colleagues and friends; followed by scholarly papers. The contributions mirror the wide scope of Jacek Fisiak’s Old and Middle English literature, historical linguistics, reflections on Earlier English adapted to the 20th and 21st centuries, and, finally, studies on the structure of English in the modern period. The Epilogue comes full circle with a Blake travesty paying tribute to his memory, “Fisiak! Fisiak!