White Ink: Essays on twentieth-century feminine fiction in Spain and Latin America

A central theme of the novels studied is the demonstration of the varying ways in which patriarchy seeks to undermine the status of womanhood: focusing on the ways in whichwomen's lives are structured according to a pre-established patriarchal plan (Nada, La plaça del Diamant, Perto do coraç¦o selvagem); concentrating on the ways in which men imprison women in their domestic roles (La amortajada, Album de familia, Los recuerdos del porvenir); seeking to redress the balance through a re-evaluation of the fairy tale (Primera memoria, El cuarto de atrás, El mismo mar de todos los veranos); exploring the interpenetration of genderand politics (La casa de los espíritus, Conversación al sur, L'hora violeta); or seeking to redraw the map of sexual boundaries (El gato eficaz, La nave de los locos, Temblor). STEPHEN M. HART is Professor of Spanish at the University of Kentucky.