The Doll (Prus novel)

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The Doll (Polish: Lalka) is a realist novel by the Polish writer Bolesław Prus, first published in periodical form between 1887 and 1889, and released as a book in 1890. The story centers on Stanisław Wokulski, a successful merchant whose unrequited love for the aristocratic Izabela Łęcka exposes the social inequalities, class divisions, and contradictions of 19th-century Warsaw. The novel's title has a dual referent as it derives from a minor episode involving a stolen toy, while also serving as a metaphorical reference to the novel's principal female character. A major theme of The Doll is the conflict between different social classes and the limitations imposed by social stratification. The novel portrays an aristocracy that retains considerable social prestige despite its declining economic position, alongside a growing middle class bourgeoisie whose wealth does not provide social acceptance. Prus examines poverty, inequality, prejudice, antisemitism, the position of women, and the...

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