Complicating the Female Subject

In the 1930s, seven plays by Polish women writers created a flurry of excitement and condemnation as these women dared to question national myths, reinterpret the definition of subject, and subvert genre expectations. This study interrogates the feminism of these shocking dramas.

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Seven inter-war plays by Polish women writers created a flurry of excitement and condemnation when they appeared, yet today they are almost forgotten. This groundbreaking study interrogates the feminism of these plays and their authors, who dared to question national myths, subvert genre expectations, and reinterpret definitions of subjectivity, anticipating the work of numerous women playwrights in post-1989 Poland. Synthesizing a variety of theoretical perspectives, the author produces a nuanced reading of each work and of the group as a whole. Both texts and the innovative synthetic approach will interest scholars of Polish literature, of drama, and of gender studies.