Autoportret z antybohaterką. Negatywne postacie kobiece w powieściach o studentkach

The article discusses the relations between protagonists and episodic figures on the pages of late 19th and early 20th century novels thematising female students. As shown in the analysis, episodic characters, most of all those with negative attributes, are most informative in the context of the novel’s discursive and ideological underpinnings. Besides, negative episodic characters contrast with the idealised protagonists. The transfer of negative features onto the episodic figures turns them into vehicles of social criticism. Their contrast to the protagonists is instrumental in placing the novel inbetween the utopia and critique, creating both a fairytale and literary representation of oppression.