The Influence of Literary Institutions on the Origin of Works. "Księżniczka" by Zofia Urbanowska as “a Fruit Fallen from the Tree of a Contest”

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to investigate the impact that the external factors, affecting the literary life in the second half of the 19th century, may have had on the creation and shape of the literary work. In this context, the author analyses the novel Księżniczka [The Princess] by Zofia Urbanowska – the winner of the literary contest for the novel for adolescent girls named after Paulina Krakowowa. The article analyses the criteria for evaluating the novels during the contest in the context of discussions about the shape of the literature for young people in the second half of the 19th century and the cultural image of woman. In addition, the paper presents how the novel can be interpreted as a response to these criteria. Finally, it provides other sources of inspiration (based on biography, social programme and so on), which had an impact on the plot of the novel.