Latina identy & the perils of femininity
Abstract
Two dominant themes exist in the fiction written by Latina authors: a focus on adolescence and a conflicting representation of femininity. With few exceptions, the works of literature relate significantly to adolescence. The authors either employ an adolescent narrator, portray an adolescent protagonist, or recall autobiographical accounts of their own adolescent experiences. The young female character adds an element of doubt to the reality she depicts. An adolescent female narrator filters the events of her world through the uncertainties in her mind. While surveying the reality surrounding her, the young Latina protagonist confronts many problematic and unresolved situations. One such problematic matter is femininity. Regardless of description, femininity, according to the Latina authors studied for this project, exists in contradiction. Continuously depicted in terms of extremes which oppose and undermine each other, femininity becomes an issue which at once demands and resists definition. The period of female adolescence begins the permanent formation of both identity and femininity. I focus on Latina adolescence in order to reach an understanding of Latina identity and the perils involved in femininity, as represented in Latina fiction.
Description
Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to digital@library.tamu.edu, referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-52).
Citation
Everett, Kathryn Blythe (2000). Latina identy & the perils of femininity. Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2000 -Fellows -Thesis -E96.