Agata Zawiszewska, How a woman came down from the tree…, that is a few words about Dzikuska [The Savage Girl] by Irena Zarzycka
Key words:
sociology of literature, interwar period, woman`s literature, popular novel, Anthony Giddens`s “pure relationship” concept, Irena Zarzycka
Summary:
The author of the article attempts to answer the question about social reasons for the international success of the interwar sentimental romances by Irena Zarzycka. Debut novel Dzikuska by Zarzycka which appeared in 1927 set a new standard for a Polish popular novel not only on the level of plot or character construction but mainly ideology. Thus, in Zarzycka’s novels we deal with the phenomenon which, on a large scale, appeared for the first time in Poland and in the world after the Second World War, that is with the formation of a new type of relationship, called by British sociologist Anthony Giddens “a pure relationship”. The “pure relationship” could emerge only when both sexes gained equal rights and opportunities for development, that is when they became equal as far as autonomy is concerned. Giddens understands autonomy as “the capacity of individuals to be self-reflective and self-determining”, that is why autonomy was not possible when the rights and obligations of an individual were strictly defined by tradition (with such elements as parental, religious, institutional authority, background, wealth, etc.). The secret of the success of Zarzycka’s novels then lies probably in the fact that not only did they realize eternal dreams of the
popular literature consumers – dreams about finding a handsome wealthy man, but also satisfied a new need for communication and intimacy based on democratic basis. For a while, they also allowed female readers to believe that, characteristic for a heterosexual relationship tension, increasing with the interwar progress of equality of rights between men and women, can be alleviated or even entirely eliminated.