Mit urody a Najbrzydsza kobieta świata Olgi Tokarczuk

Abstract

Gender theory concerns most areas of woman‘s existence in a society and an artistic text is one of many subject manifestations, which may and is likely to influence public opinions. After the period of literature dominated by heroines fighting for the rights, the woman­‑provocateurs came to set free not only their bodies, but also their souls. Apart from the male–female relations (gender theory), Olga Tokarczuk’s short story Najbrzydsza kobieta świata (tr. The Ugliest Woman of World) reveals various aspects of women’s writing, in particular – the aesthetics of ugliness. Within this milieu, the ugliness is locked in two stands: 1. the direct characteristics of the ugliest woman in the world and 2. the shocking element of the suffering aesthetics, namely, the exposure of woman by the others.

Keywords

• woman
• beauty myth
• stereotype
• Tokarczuk