Published: 2021-05-181

The space of Łódź in the mirror of toxic discourse. On the sidelines of the Promised Land by Władysław Stanisław Reymont

Dariusz Piechota
Humanities and Natural Sciences
Section: Articles
https://doi.org/10.31648/hip.6757

Abstract

This article is devoted to analyzing the space of Łódź presented in Reymont’s Promised Land. The author focuses on popular opposition Nature versus Civilization which is highlighted in the novel Reference is also made to Laurence Buell’s toxic discourse. Reymont is aware that the accelerated urbanization (which has taken place since 1890) has disturbed the ecological balance in the environment. New factories, which appeared in the area of Łódź, have reduced areas of wilderness. Toxic fumes from the chimneys have become a clear sign of an impending ecological disaster. Trees compared to skeletons and the smell of rot are evidence of the progressing agony in the urban landscape. The problem of environmental pollution seems to be ignored by the protagonists of the Promised Land. This is due to the fact that nature has been seen only as a field of constant human exploitation. The only sensitive persthe narrator, who, like a chronicler, documents
destructive changes in the ecosystem. Undoubtedly, Reymont’s voice is a manifestation of mature, modern ecological awareness.

Keywords:

ecocriticism, city, country, pollution

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Citation rules

Piechota, D. (2021). The space of Łódź in the mirror of toxic discourse. On the sidelines of the Promised Land by Władysław Stanisław Reymont. Humanities and Natural Sciences, (26), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.31648/hip.6757

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