College - Author 1

College of Liberal Arts

Department - Author 1

Modern Languages and Literatures Department

Date

3-2011

Primary Advisor

Karen Muñoz Christian

Abstract/Summary

This project will analyze Isabel Allende's novel La casa de los espíritus and provide insight into how the novel functions as a commentary about the feminist movement in Chile during the 20th century. Though La casa de los espíritus is a work of fiction, the project will attempt to draw connections between the experiences of the female characters in the novel and the experiences of women in real life. The actions of each female character represent the struggles of real women as the attempt to subvert the oppression of the patriarchal system. Each woman in the novel attempts to attain a different type of freedom or independence in order to assert their own unique identity.

The project will use a variety of different critical analyses of La casa de los espíritus to provide a framework for my own interpretation of the text. It will also utilize background information on the historical context on which the novel is based, including the system of gender roles present in Chile and Latin America and the history of the feminist movement in Chile.

This project intends to show that La casa de los espíritus functions not only as a work of fiction, but also as a larger commentary about Chilean and Latin American society, particularly with regards to gender roles and the subversion and evolution of those gender roles by women.

COinS