„Moja siostra, moja miłość”. O przełamywaniu kazirodczego milczenia w powieściach Gai Grzegorzewskiej
“My sister, my love”. On breaking the silence around incest in the novels of Gaja Grzegorzewska

Author(s): Olimpia Orządała
Subject(s): Polish Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: The article concerns the topic of breaking the silence around incest in Gaja Grzegorzewska’s crime novels. Incest is one of the many taboo subjects functioning in culture and civilization. The article echoes the studies of scholars such as Claude Lévi-Strauss or Sigmund Freud. Moreover, it explains the workings of the Westermarck effect and genetic sexual attraction (GSA). Further, the article focuses on the representations of this theme in Polish literature and cinematography. Grzegorzewska is a writer who breaks the silence regarding incest as an informed and willing relationship between step-siblings. The novels present the journey of the characters from an unwitting relationship in their youth to a fully informed and consenting relationship later on. Moreover, they portray the range of opinions and reactions regarding the relationship, while the article itself demonstrates how Grzegorzewska breaks the silence around incest in her works.

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