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El arte de tejer como eje estructurante en la narrativa femenina Hispanoamericana
Abstract
This dissertation examines the relationship between the arts of weaving, sewing, embroidery, knitting and other domestic tasks and the search for identity and self expression in contemporary feminine texts from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Mexico. This study begins with Greek mythology and traces the role of domestic activities in both the social and personal development of women throughout human history, allowing us to examine the relationship between the language of textiles and written language. As a point of departure, we have selected three mythological characters: Penelope, Philomena and Arachne. Experts in the art of weaving and embroidery, these female figures manipulated traditional gender roles to change the course of their lives and to confront the authority of the patriarchal system through domestic skills. Contemporary Latin American women writers have found in these domestic skills a way to create a space and language adequate for telling their own story. We examine three narratives: "Penelope en sus bodas de Plata" by Rima de Vallbona, "La muneca menor" by Rosario Ferre and Como agua para Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, in which the female figure challenges existing stereotypes about the role and nature of women through new literary techniques and creates a narrative space, in which woman are subjects rather than objects. In summary, the characters of these classic and contemporary texts share a common characteristic: the capacity to create their own world from elements of the female economy.
Subject Area
Latin American literature|Caribbean literature|Comparative literature|Womens studies|Design
Recommended Citation
Vallejos-Ramirez, Mayela A, "El arte de tejer como eje estructurante en la narrativa femenina Hispanoamericana" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9725138.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9725138