Interpersonal Relations in a Materialized World or Images of Ladies in Vogue in Polish Enlightenment Comedies Cover Image

Relacje międzyludzkie w zmaterializowanym świecie, czyli wizerunki dam modnych w polskich komediach oświeceniowych
Interpersonal Relations in a Materialized World or Images of Ladies in Vogue in Polish Enlightenment Comedies

Author(s): Beata Strzępek-Leśniak
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: fashionable lady; Enlightenment comedy; marriage; money; social status

Summary/Abstract: The article concerns interpersonal relations in the 18th century. Selected comedies of the Enlightenment, in which images of fashionable ladies can be seen, have been characterized. Among them are Umizgi dla przysługi by Jan Drozdowski and Powrót posła by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz. These comedies show women who have given in to a bitter and materialistic world. The pursuit of money, they have led to a shuffling of life’s overarching values. The marriage is presented as an economic transaction. In the life of a partially emancipated woman, love recedes into the background. The model for the above-mentioned works is a satire by Ignacy Krasicki titled Żona modna, which shows that during the Enlightenment the reason for getting married was mainly financial or social status.

  • Issue Year: 7/2022
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 177-193
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Polish