Polish literature and psychoanalysis in the face of identity issues after 1989

Abstract

Identity is an important term in postmodern culture. In Poland, following the transformation after 1989, there appeared many articles that deal with this topic. In order to show the richness and complexity of postmodern literary and psychoanalysis texts, many comparative analyses were carried out based on various theoretical assumptions. In this paper, depending on the issue under study, the authors drew from the findings of: psychoanalysis, deconstruction, feminism and „gender studies”. This paper discusses the complexity of identity. „Guguła” by Wioletta Grzegorzewska is an example of women’s literature in which the protagonist discovers her own femininity. The male realization of the identity problem was discussed based on Wit Szostak’s „Poniewczasie”. In order to present the complexity of gender identity as a whole, reference was also made to the novel by Natalia Osińska „Fanfik”, in which the protagonist is a transgender person. The paper also presents a capacious and very complex psychological point of view on the issue of identity. The study is interdisciplinary, with particular emphasis on literature and psychology, but also on philosophical and sociological elements.