Death, Illness, Heterotopia – a Significant Ellipsis in The Doll and The New Woman by Bolesław Prus

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of significant ellipsis – sequences of dots or dashes in prose at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The analysis includes The Doll and The New Woman by Bolesław Prus. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that a significant ellipsis constitutes an immanent element of the structure of a literary work. They are not merely typographical marks, but also contribute to the meaning of the text. So far, these signs have not been the subject of interpretative reflection in studies of Prus’s works. The article proposes a term that makes it possible to describe them as a distinct research category. The structural analysis shows that a significant ellipsis introduces new meanings into the text. They participate in the representation of suffering connected with Ignacy Rzecki’s illness. They signal the death of characters. They refer to the experience of silence and ineffability. They mark liminal spaces both on the level of experience and within symbolic space (heterotopias).