Estetyzowanie ciała. Propozycja antropologizującego odczytania przedwojennej poezji Marii Pawlikowskiej-Jasnorzewskiej

Abstract

Enriching the literary analysis with anthropological perspective allows to raise multidimensional discussion on subjectivity issues. It interprets the elements of literary work morphology in the categories of figures representing psycho-physical man’s condition. The article aims at explanation of one of the essential aspects, concretized in the prewar poetry of the author of Kisses, process of shaping identity - attitude towards the body. It is characterized by aestheticization, understood as the quest for a harmonious whole, a passion for decorativeness, creation of well-thought compositions. The subjective experience of carnality specifies some regularity. When the heroine is young she tries to keep her body cover, hence her passion for elegant outfits, selected accessories, (e.g. tulle, voiles, umbrellas and even a Chinese dog). When the heroine is getting older her uncovered body comes to the fore. Heavily exposed are wrinkles as a symbol of ageing. This unwanted metamorphosis brings only sorrow, infirmity, the feeling of “being invisible”. The adopted methodology in the article allows to analyze the problem of aestheticization of the body in the categories of identity discourse.