Women's studies are still in their infancy in Poland and this pioneering book is one of the most comprehensive and well-researched studies on nineteenth-century Polish women prose writers. Selecting writers that reflect the most turbulent time in Polish women's literature, such as Klementyna Hoffmanowa, Narcyza Zmichovska, Eliza Orzeszkowa and Zofia Nalkowska. Borkowska's approach of major feminist theories and post-feminist thought results in astonishing findings that throw new light on Polish women writers and their contribution to European thought. The author's intelligent and effective use of feminist criticism and clarity of thought make Alienated Women a landmark study, suitable for (all students) and scholars of Polish literature, women's studies and feminist theory.