Women as Outsiders

This compelling analysis of four contemporary novels by Latin American women writers, Tierra Inerme by Cuban writer Dora Alonso, Hasta No Verte Jes?s MÌo by Mexican Elena Poniatowska, Cenizas de Izalco by Salvadoran Claribel AlegrÌa and Darwin Flakoll, and La Casa de los EspÌritus by Chilean Isabel Allende, uncovers a common discourse of female solidarity against tyranny in the form of dictatorial governments, class domination, and ethnic inequality as well as patriarchal abuse. Providing a thorough historical background, Maureen Shea traces the protagonists' growing resistance to personal and political marginalization and analyzes female bonding as a force against oppression. This study provides a tightly argued contribution to the study of both literature and gender studies in Latin America, as well as Latin American history and politics.