Thesis
French
ID: <
10670/1.27uyw8>
Abstract
This study aims to compare various depictions of the myth of androgyny in late-century French literature and during the Young Poland period on the example of selected works by Huysmans, Rachilde, Komornicka and Przybyszewski. The genesis of this myth reflects the complex and heterogeneous character of the figure of indeterminate sex, highlighting the continuity of the existence of myths in literary texts. Nevertheless, its entry into the literature would be perceived as a mark of degradation of the myth in comparison to the primordial one. In other words, the androgyny of flesh and bone demonstrates the break with the initial androgyny being the incarnation of the harmonious union, which imposes a certain hierarchy on the perception of later versions of the mythical narrative. The goal is to take a new approach to the figure of Double at the dawn of the twentieth century, by adding a Polish contribution. The focus is on the context and the versatile meanings conveyed. In the context of the differential comparatism method, the aim is to establish a non-hierarchical relationship between different versions of the myth of androgyne in the works of French and Polish authors. The perspective of the analysis extends to the connections between the two literary worlds, the reception, the shared influences and the differences.