Związki legalne i nielegalne, czyli jak współczesne polskie autorki piszą o miłości i seksie

The publication of E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey in 2011, the film adaptation of the novel, and the continuation of the series, drew attention to literary texts written by women, not only popular, boldly addressing the issue of love-sexual relationships. In this article, I attempt to answer the following questions: how do renowned contemporary Polish female writers describe love stories, and above all, how do they deal with depicting sexual practices? Where do they seek inspiration? Can their language and style be considered specifically feminine? Initial analysis of selected novels allows for the identification of two primary aesthetic strategies: poeticization, for example in Pasja według św. Hanki (2012) by Anna Janko and W powietrzu (2014) by Inga Iwasiów, as well as brutalization – in the texts by Grażyna Plebanek (Nielegalne związki, 2010), Manuela Gretkowska (Trans, 2011), and in the two-volume series by Hanna Samson (Wojna żeńsko-męska i przeciwko światu, 2005; Pokój żeńsko-męski na chwałę patriarchatu, 2006).