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TranslatingFeminism
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merousexamplesthatprovehowirritatingwomen’sopinionsare:nagging
wives,boorishmothers-in-law,womenwithvenomoustongues,shrews
andgossipsarewell-knownstereotypesinliterature,artandfilm(Gilmore
2001).Therudimentaryassumptionthatonlythepositionofpowerguar-
anteestheessentialvalueofexpressedopinionscontributedtothefactthat
womenchosepseudonymsorhidtheirownidentityundertheirhusband’s
name.Ifwomenwantedtoparticipateinseriousdebates,theyhadtoper-
sistinsolicitingtheattentionofafriendlyandheedfulsociety.Thepostu-
lateaddressedtowomenthattheyshouldfinallyvoicetheiropinionscan
beaddedtothepostulatethatweshouldlearntolistentotheexcluded,
althoughtheirstatementsmayoftensoundirritating.
Paradoxically,thereceptionofŻmichowskaisratherscantyduetothe
excessofherinterests,whichshewoulddescribeinhercorrespondence,
ratherthanduetotheexcessofmaterials.Foryearstheexchangeofletters
wasforherasubstituteofscholarlydebates,lecturesandpolemics.Her
politicalactivityandbanishmentfromWarsawpreventedtheauthorofCzy
topowieść?(IsThisaNovel?)fromparticipatingincreativediscussions
andmeetingswithherfriends,her“familybychoice.”Ultimately,cutoff
fromthosewithwhomshecouldshareherscientificpassions,shesuffered
fromdepressionandhercreativewritingwashindered(Winklowa2004).
Whatsheleftusareonlyafewunfinishednovels,butwedohaveseveral
hundredpagesofletters.Herphilosophyofdialogue,theceaselesscon-
frontationofherownjudgementswithopinionsandknowledgeofothers,
cannotbeclassifiedasanyspecificschoolofliteratureorartmovement,
alsobecausetoŻmichowskaknowledgedidnotconstituteinformation,but
athoughtprocess,ceaselessrestructuringofprinciplesandone’sownout-
lookonlife.Herprioritywasnevertostop,nevertoadoptadefensiveposi-
tionandsurroundherselfwithawallwhichwouldcanceloutanydoubts.
InNarcyzaŻmichowska:feminizmireligia(NarcyzaŻmichowska:
FeminismandReligion)UrsulaPhillipsmakesPolishreadersawareofthe
greatsignificanceofŻmichowska’sknowledgeofEnglish,whichallowed
hertojointhemaincurrentsoftheEuropeanthoughtthecontextwhich
helpstounderstandherworks.Therefore,itisnotsurprisingthattheauthor
ofKsiążkapamiątek(TheBookofMemorabilia)constantlyencouraged
herstudentstolearnEnglish,alsoduetothevaluable“storieswrittenby
women.”PhillipsexplainsindetailtheactivitiesoftheEnthusiastWom-
enAssociationandemphasizestheirinterestinFrenchandEnglishideas
ratherthaninconspiracyandpatriotism.Żmichowska’sgoodknowledge
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