Abstract
which draws from semiotic ballad theory reformulated by Diego Catalan, and from feminist theory as elaborated by Julia Kristeva, Helene Cixous and Luce Irigaray. These critical stances, when conjoined and applied selectively to the three Spanish ballads Isabel de Liar, Gerineldo and La linda Melisenda, reveal a new perspective on poetic organization at three levels of discursive reactualization: characterization, metalevel structure, and transmission/re-creation. Chapter II explores characterization in two versions of Isabel de Liar. The feminine voice 'de-stabilizes' binary oppositions by exposing layers of meaning beyond the opposition of 'man is strong/active' versus 'woman is weak/passive.' The characterization of a more assertive Isabel through changes in narrative points of view and emphasis of certain elements at the expense of others displaces narrative tension in order to direct focus on a conflict between women. In Chapter III, mimesis interpreted as a feminine discourse strategy shapes and unifies the metalevel structure at the fabula level of three versions of the ballad Gerineldo. Repetitions of ironic and parodic units of discourse inscribe an unrepresented feminine position by exposing a masculine bias inherent in discourse relating to female sexuality. The psychoanalytic textual analysis of La linda Melisenda in Chapter IV focuses on the process of transmission and re- creation in three versions. The crossing of the semiotic chora into symbolic discourse inscribes the transgressive thematic juxtaposition of Eros/Thanatos in the romance. Ballad singers re-create this transgressive inscription with each new transmission of the ballad through narrative processes which open interpretation by shifting the focus of this thematic juxtaposition. Chapter V summarizes and evaluates the critical apparatus and the results of its selective application in the three ballads, concluding with suggestions for future applications of the critical model to these and other ballads.
Timmons, Patricia Lee (1993). A feminist semiotic analysis of three Spanish ballads: Isabal de Liar, Gerineldo and La Linda Melisenda. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1993 -THESIS -T584.