Against the emancipation of women

The works of Gabriela Zapolska, 1857-1921, actress and outstanding playwright and prose author, is nowadays considered a]part of pre-feminist currents in Polish literature. In her plays, Zapolska has succesfully introduced themes associated with the life of women, such as: pregnancy and birth, menstruation, sexual abuse, extramatrimonial relations, illegitimate offspring, venereal diseases. In parallel, her journalist pieces overtly attacked the postulates of women's emancipation, what was criticised by conservatives and leftists alike. The author analyses the apparent contradition between the purport of Zapolska's plays and her journalistic writing.