The Enlightenment theme of the fashionable lady: its continuations and references in selected canonical works for secondary school

Abstract

The paper deals with the reference to the Enlightenment motif of the fashionable lady in canonical works for secondary school students. This motif gained its popularity in the Enlightenment following Ignacy Krasicki’s work entitled The Fashionable Wif’. Its main characteristics were an excessive fascination with fashion, overuse of the French language, comfortable glamorous lifestyle, and non-respect for customs. The fashionable lady motif gained its popularity in the periods to come thanks to its universality. It can be found in some of the most famous canonical readings for secondary school students. They include the intriguing Telimena from Pan Tadeusz, the angelic Izabela Łęcka from Lalka and the neurotic Emilia Korczyńska from Nad Niemnem