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- Title
SIEMPREVIVAS. LAURA MÉNDEZ DE CUENCA Y JOSEFA MURILLO: DOS EXPRESIONES DEL CARÁCTER Y LA SENSIBILIDAD MEXICANAS DEL SIGLO XIX.
- Authors
Mitlich Osuna, Ana Consuelo; Villa Pérez, Josefina Elizabeth
- Abstract
The article analyzes the presence and work of writers Laura Méndez de Cuenca and Josefa Murillo in 19th century Mexico. These authors were able to take advantage of the few public spaces they had access to in order to express their sensitivity and commitment to art and the nation. Although there were other female writers during that time, Méndez and Murillo stood out and were recognized as women of letters in their time. The emergence of writing produced by women was part of a transformation in forms of female sociability and was favored by the freedoms in the dissemination of ideas brought about by the restoration of the republic in Mexico. The text talks about the presence of Mexican female poets in the 19th century and their lack of recognition in 20th century literary histories. It is mentioned that there was a boom in female writing and representation in literature in the 1970s, and that some female poets published books and anthologies of female poetry. However, the majority of them published in magazines of little relevance. It is argued that the forgetting of female writers was due to the lack of continuity in the values of national reconstruction and a gender ideology that privileged masculinity in literature. It also mentions a controversy in 1925 about the feminization of Mexican literature. The debate about masculinity/femininity in literature identifies how in the post-revolution period, masculinity was exalted and female literature was marginalized. Mexican literature with representative values of the revolutionary movement was privileged. Starting in 1910, female writers were relegated to spaces with less public visibility. It is necessary to recognize the literary tradition from a diversity of styles and genders. An analysis is made of the work of Laura Méndez de Cuenca and her contribution to the formation of the national imaginary. The text talks about the influence of travel on the writing of Laura Méndez, a Mexican author from the 19th century. It is mentioned that Méndez made several trips abroad, especially to the United States and Europe, where she worked as an editor and narrator. Her writings reflect acute observation of the foreigner and the confrontation of moral codes between the Mexican and the foreign. The importance of travel as a form of recognition of the self and criticism of foreign influences in Mexican culture is highlighted. In addition, some of Méndez's stories and chronicles that address the theme of travel and the confrontation of values are mentioned. The text narrates two short stories that reflect Laura Méndez's vision of foreigners, especially Americans, and their influence on Mexican culture. In the first story, a Mexican named Silverio sells his house and land to an American neighbor, Mr. Wilson, for ten thousand dollars. However, Silverio regrets it when he learns of the lucrative negotiations Wilson made with his former property. This story symbolizes the loss of Mexican territory during the 19th century. In the second story, Mr. Aroonson is presented, an American who is considered strange due to his generosity and detachment from material goods. Aroonson travels the world to enrich himself culturally and acquires a collection of Egyptian antiquities, which is seen as madness by his servants. These stories reflect Méndez's perception of foreigners and her criticism of materialism. They also explore romantic conflicts between people of different nationalities, as in the stories "Miss Isadora's Disappointment" and "Alma's Confession". The text analyzes Laura Méndez's work and her nationalist vision in relation to foreigners and the influence of the United States on Mexico. Méndez highlights the advantage that men like Reginald have in knowing how to control their passions in order to
- Subjects
MEXICO; PERSONAL criticism; EGYPTIAN antiquities; GENDER nonconformity; PUBLIC spaces; INFLUENCE (Literary, artistic, etc.); ANTHOLOGIES; WOMEN'S writings; SOCIABILITY
- Publication
Siglo Diecenueve: Literatura Hispánica, 2022, Issue 28, p349
- ISSN
1136-2308
- Publication type
Article