On the Question of the Genesis of Władysław Stanisław Reymont’s Novel "The Peasants"

Abstract

This article explores the genesis of The Peasants, a novel by the Polish writer and
Nobel Prize award – Władysław Stanisław Reymont. The analysis incorporates perspectives from both Polish and European scholars. To shed light on the novel’s origins, the study draws parallels between Reymont’s work and selected novels by
French authors, specifically Émile Zola’s naturalistic novel La Terre (Earth), Honoré de Balzac’s realist novel Père Goriot (Father Goriot), and William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear.