Female mythologies in contemporary chicana literatureThesis (M.A.) from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, language: English, abstract: In Mexican-American/ Chicano culture, feminine archetypes from the Mexican tradition play an important role for woman’s subjectivity. Traditionally, such archetypes epitomize Catholic-patriarchal constructions of womanhood. Idolized by the figures of the Virgin of Guadalupe, La Malinche, and La Llorona, the most prevailing representations of female sexuality and motherhood evolve around the passive virgin, the sinful seductress, and the traitorous mother. Along the lines of Chicana feminism, the traditional definitions of these feminine archetypes can be seen as promoting an image of woman that is detrimental to female subjectivity. Although there are three figures, these archetypes evoke a binary opposition that defines woman as either “good woman” or “bad woman,” “virgin” or “whore.” As such, they limit and circumscribe the Chicana’s development of subjectivity. But these cultural icons may also epitomize feminine power, and hence provide the Chicana with possible feminist role models to back up her emancipation. Chicana feminists have employed creative writing to counter the Catholic-patriarchal discourse on the Virgin of Guadalupe, Malinche, and La Llorona. As they explore these cultural archetypes in their novels, short stories, and poems, Chicana feminists attempt to reveal the mechanisms by which the original images of these mythic figures have been subverted, disempowered, and distorted. But most importantly, they seek to deconstruct the virgin/whore dichotomy by rewriting the mythic figures. Through a revision of existing myths, Chicana writers are able to create a feminist mythology that is rooted in cultural tradition but simultaneously serves as an act of resistance to the dominant discourse. This Master’s thesis will explore the mythic figures of Guadalupe, Malinche, and La Llorona in all their complexity, and discuss their predominant role in contemporary Chicana literature by focusing on different examples of creative writing provided by three of the most articulate and powerful Chicana voices: Helena Maria Viramontes: “The Broken Web” and “The Cariboo Cafe” Sandra Cisneros: “Little Miracles, Kept Promises,” “Never Marry a Mexican” and “Woman Hollering Creek” Ana Castillo: So Far from God |
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Alarcón Ana Castillo Anglo Anzaldúa archetypes betrayal Carbonell Cariboo Cafe Caridad Catholic Catholic-patriarchal Chayo Chicana feminism Chicana feminists Chicana literature Chicana writers Chicana/o Chicano culture Chicano movement Chingada chingón Church Cihuacoatl Cisneros’s Clemencia Cleófilas Cleófilas’s Coatlicue contemporary Chicana Cortés creative writing culture’s daughters discourse dominant Elenes Esperanza father Felice female feminine fiction Fitts Geraldo goddess Gritona Guadalupe’s hence husband ibid Ikas Juan Pedro La Llorona La Malinche legend literary lives Llorona Loca lover male Malinche Malinche’s Malintzin Marry a Mexican Martha McCracken mestiza Mexican Mexican-American Mexico mother mythic figures Nahuatl narrative Never Marry novel Oliver-Rotger oppression passive patriarchal patriarchal myth reader Rebolledo 1995 role model Saeta Saldívar-Hull 2000 Salvadoran woman Sandra Cisneros sexual short story sisters social Sofi Sofi’s Spanish symbol telenovelas Tlazolteotl Tomás traditional Viramontes 1995 Viramontes’s Virgin of Guadalupe voice wailing washerwoman Weeping Woman Woman Hollering Creek Wyatt