The Female Body in Polish Jewish Women’s Writing, 1880–1918

This chapter contrasts the images of the female body in Polish Jewish literature and in the ego-documents of Polish Jewish women written between 1880 and 1918. Throughout Europe, an important shift in social perception occurred in this period, characterized by a highly sexualized representation of the female body which was also constantly watched, criticized, and perceived as mirroring the personality of the person to whom it belonged. The shift is clearly visible in the literature but not in the ego-documents; however, its impact can be traced, not least because of the authors’ immersion in a particular Polish Jewish culture. This chapter explores the commonalities of literary and non-literary texts regarding the representation of the female body and whether it matters that the authors were Jewish women.