Mastretta and her Female Characters: Models of Feminine Emancipation (Mastretta y sus protagonistas, ejemplos de emancipación femenina)

Published In

Romance Studies

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2002

Subjects

Angela Mastretta (1949- ) -- Criticism and interpretation, Feminism and literature -- Mexico, Women in literature

Abstract

Angeles Mastretta has become one of the most promising Mexican writers in modern Hispanicamerican literature in the last years. She has published five novels: Arráncame la vida (1985), Mujeres de ojos grandes (1990), Puerto libre (1993), Mal de amores (1995) and El mundo iluminado (1999). In her novels the central figure of the narration is the 'woman'. Mastretta empowers her with a subversive and emancipating discourse. Based on the feminine protagonists in her works, I present the idea of independence and sexual liberation with Catalina Ascencio, Emilia Sauri, and the numerous aunts as examples. The author succeeds in making these characters independent of any pre-established socio-cultural canon and, thus, frees them from a conventional lifestyle. These women are ahead of their time and to achieve this social liberation, which society does not give them, they must use their emancipated sexuality as a liberating force.

Description

© 2014 W. S. Maney & Son Ltd

DOI

10.1179/ros.2002.20.2.115

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/21189

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