The “New Man” and Male Homosocial Desire in Late Nineteenth-Century Polish Novels

Abstract

The study of nineteenth-century Polish novels offers an exploration of cultural constructions of masculinities withinthe upper class and evolving middle-classes towards the end of century. It explores different social contexts and theways in which literature shapes and interrogates men’s social roles and codes of behavior. The traditional rules andcodes of the upper class are challenged by “New Men”, such as the parvenu Stanisław Wokulski, and their attemptsto assimilate into the world of the class to which they do not belong. An examination of these new protagonistsalso precipitates a deeper understanding of hierarchical structures in public and semi-public spheres, friendshipsand rivalry between and among men as well as their attitudes towards women in general. The aim of this article isto present briefly the story of Wokulski’s unsuccessful homosocial climbing and to examine the ambiguities of hischaracter from a gender perspective.