The Evolution of 20th Century Spanish Feminism and its Reflection in Three Contemporary Novels

Abstract

The novels I will be analyzing are Ramona, adiós by Montserrat Roig, Carmen Martín Gaíte's The Back Room and Absent Love by Rosa Montero. Literature has reinforced stereotypes to keep genders in their place; new ways of literary analysis were necessary to usurp this power. I will be conducting this analysis from a feminist perspective, an approach which Patricia Spacks defines as "any mode that approaches a text with the primary concern for the nature of female experience in it. . . " (Todd, 5). Two of the goals of feminist writing are consciousness raising and the establishment of an open dialogue between men and women. Women writers use their works to create awareness of problems while providing women the opportunity to contribute to solutions, and to make the feminine point of view more visible. Spanish women writers hesitate to accept the label of "feminist author" because the term can be dismissive rather than descriptive when used by Spanish critics, but for the purposes of this paper they will be considered feminist authors. Each author with her respective novel will show how the uniqueness of Spanish society of this century has affected Spanish women. All translations are my own.