Potworna kobiecość w potwornym mieście

Abstract

“Monstrous” femininity in “monstrous” city The main inquiry of the article is the relation between modern, “denaturalized” urban space and the femininity which is present and visible in this space. The author pays particular attention to the social dimensions of the “monstrosity” which are found in the space of an industrial metropolis, as well as the “monstrosity” of the prostitute – one of the leading figures of a modern city. A short analysis of the fragments of two famous novels: the classical Nana by Émile Zola and neo-victorian The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber is employed to picture the ambiguity of the problem in question. The way the urban space is experienced by a woman-prostitute who provokes both fascination and repulsion is crucial here.