"She opened her imaginary eyes into blue nothingness.ˮ Women as Existing Nothingness in Bolesław Leśmian’s Poetry

The category of nothingness often appears in the poetry of Bolesław Leśmian. Literary representations of nothingness as a woman are an original feature of Leśmian’s poetic imagination. This article offers an ontological analysis of women who can be described as “existing nothingness.ˮThese presentations are not homogenous and some notable differences can be observed: in the opposite directions of the will, the intensity of nothingness, or in the perspective from which these characters are shown. Womannothingness can be associated with a lyrical situation or be an element of description. In Leśmian’s poetry there are also male characters who become nothingness after coming in contact with women. Presentations of women as “existing nothingnessˮand their destructive impact on men is connected with the misogynist attitude.

* Pierwotną wersję artykułu stanowi rozdział pracy licencjackiej pt. Kreacje kobiet nieobecnych oraz nieistniejących w poezji Kazimierza Przerwy-Tetmajera i Bolesława Leśmiana, napisanej na Wydziale Polonistyki UJ pod opieką Krzysztofa Fiołka i obronionej w roku 2018.

The category of nothingness often appears in the poetry of Bolesław Leśmian. Literary representations of nothingness as a woman are an original feature of Leśmian’s poetic imagination. This article offers an ontological analysis of women who can be described as “existing nothingness.ˮThese presentations are not homogenous and some notable differences can be observed: in the opposite directions of the will, the intensity of nothingness, or in the perspective from which these characters are shown. Womannothingness can be associated with a lyrical situation or be an element of description. In Leśmian’s poetry there are also male characters who become nothingness after coming in contact with women. Presentations of women as “existing nothingnessˮand their destructive impact on men is connected with the misogynist attitude.

* Pierwotną wersję artykułu stanowi rozdział pracy licencjackiej pt. Kreacje kobiet nieobecnych oraz nieistniejących w poezji Kazimierza Przerwy-Tetmajera i Bolesława Leśmiana, napisanej na Wydziale Polonistyki UJ pod opieką Krzysztofa Fiołka i obronionej w roku 2018.