Central American Women’s Literature

doi:10.1017/CHO9781316050859.027

23 - Central American Women’s Literature

from Part III - Women Writers In-Between: Socialist, Modern, Developmentalists, and Liberal Democratic Ideals

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2015

Nicole Caso

Edited by

Ileana Rodríguez and

Mónica Szurmuk

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Ileana Rodríguez: Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Mónica Szurmuk: Affiliation:
Instituto de Literatura Hispanoamericana, Argentina

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Summary

Women in Central America have long been witnesses and narrators of history. This chapter provides a synthesis of the literary production of women of the isthmus from the nineteenth century to the present. It focuses on repeated themes, key questions raised, and aesthetic choices with regard to textual form and content. By highlighting the work of many admirable women, the chapter demonstrates parallels with other authors of the hemisphere while also drawing attention to the singularities of the region, considering the unique contextual circumstances in which these writers implement their craft. For many who were literate, mid-nineteenth century was spent breaking away from colonial Spain, vying for political and economic position, and adjusting to the changing iterations of what would eventually become the independent republics of Central America. The early twentieth century gives rise to social realism in leftist-leaning prose from Russia to Central America.

Keywords

dissident cosmopolitanisms feminist struggles Clarice Lispector planetary imagination

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of Latin American Women's Literature , pp. 396 - 409

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHO9781316050859.027 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2015

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