Alcohol consumption and sense of shame in the novels "John Barleycorn" by Jack London, "The Mighty Angel" by Jerzy Pilch and "The Drinker" by Hans Fallada

Konrad Łyjak

konrad.lyjak@mail.umcs.pl
(Poland)

Abstract

The basis of this paper are three novels which were written in very different times and whose authors came from different cultural backgrounds. Despite their many similarities, these largely autobiographical novels differ in the way they portray the alcoholic disease with regard to its causes and symptoms, both somatic and psychological, which include shame. The aim of this paper is to attempt to answer the question of whether alcohol abuse necessarily causes a sense of shame by the protagonists of the chosen novels (by Jack London, Jerzy Pilch and Hans Fallada).


Keywords:

alcohol addiction, shame, autobiographical novel, Hans Fallada, Jack London, Jerzy Pilch

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Published
2025-12-21

Cited by

Łyjak, K. (2025). Alcohol consumption and sense of shame in the novels "John Barleycorn" by Jack London, "The Mighty Angel" by Jerzy Pilch and "The Drinker" by Hans Fallada. Transfer. Reception Studies, 10(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.16926/trs.2025.10.13

Authors

Konrad Łyjak 
konrad.lyjak@mail.umcs.pl
Poland

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