Narcyza Żmichowska - Encounters with Polish Literature - S2E11

Narcyza Żmichowska with Ursula Phillips (Translator) Narcyza Żmichowska (1819-76), known also by the pen name “Gabryella,” is perhaps the first Polish writer we can recognize as a feminist in the modern sense. She moved in democratic (anti-tsarist) and socialist circles (landing in prison and under house arrest in Lublin for two years), maintained an extensive correspondence, largely with a group of similarly-minded intellectuals known as the “Enthusiasts,” and wrote poetry, stories, and several novels including The Heathen, A Book of Memories, A Double Life, The White Rose, and Is this a Novel? Later in life, she was most active as a teacher and author of textbooks, aimed primarily at the education of girls. In this episode we look primarily at her novel, The Heathen (Poganka, 1846), the first to be translated into English. We consider her ideas about art and representation, the meaning of love, the relation of the novel to Plato’s Symposium,gender fluidity, and what exactly constituted “enthusiasm” in Żmichowska’s context. We look at details from her biography and evidence from her letters that help to explain these questions in the novel. Encounters with Polish Literature is a video series for anyone interested in literature and the culture of books and reading. Each month, host David A. Goldfarb presents a new topic in conversation with an expert on that author or book or movement in Polish literature. Learn more about this episode, and see the biography of the guest on the Polish Cultural Institute New York's website. The linked page includes a bibliography of works in English and Polish about Narcyza Żmichowska: https://instytutpolski.pl/newyork/202... Access the Playlist of the entire series: https://bit.ly/Encounters-ALL