Kobieta u progu życia. Dojrzewanie do miłości, seksualności, przyjaźni w „Kobietach” Zofii Nałkowskiej

Abstract

The debut novel by Zofia Nałkowska, entitled “Women” is a work about youth and maturation to life. The author is raising the motif, which is known and worked out in the literature of many periods, but she writes about it in an unique way. Firstly Nałkowska herself is on the threshold of life and career as a novelist. The consequences of that are the autobioghraphical signs, which are commented at the beginning of this paper. In the next paragraphs there are described the female hereos of the novel — young women, who are excited with the life and its opportunities, as well as dissappointed with the painful lessons life gives them. This paper is trying to present the femininity “in statu nascendi” and its immaturity, naivety and narcissism. The complicated process of maturation is described with such elements like: looking for love, living in friendship and discovering body and people’s sexuality as well as searching for a right way to live and think. This paper presents a lot of contrasts: naivety and arrogance, innocence and the strength of desire, excitment and the tendency to analyse.