agentowe

Agentowe is a term used in Polish-language media critique to categorize works whose central concern is agency and the figure of the agent. The word combines agent with the Polish adjectival ending -owe to produce an evaluative label describing works that foreground decision-making, action under constraints, and ethical ambiguity associated with acting agents. While not standardized, the term appears in scholarly and critical discussions of contemporary thriller, espionage fiction, and related media.

Typical features include emphasis on the choices and consequences of actions by agents, procedural realism, and a focus on information gathering, risk assessment, and strategic thinking. Protagonists may be professional spies, undercover operatives, negotiators, or ordinary individuals drawn into agent-like tasks. Plot structures often rely on tight pacing, complex networks of contacts, and situations where knowledge is asymmetrical.

Geographical usage: The term is most commonly used in Polish criticism but has appeared in translated or cross-cultural analyses of spy and thriller genres. It functions as a flexible descriptor rather than a rigid genre boundary, overlapping with spy fiction, political thrillers, and techno-thrillers. Critics use it to discuss how a work treats agency and moral responsibility under surveillance and pressure.

See also: spy fiction, thriller, espionage fiction, agent-based narrative.