MULTIPLE IMAGES OF FEMININITY, THE STORIES OF EVA LUNA BY ISABEL ALLENDE Cover Image

MULTIPLE IMAGINI ALE FEMINITĂȚII, POVESTIRILE EVEI LUNA DE ISABEL ALLENDE
MULTIPLE IMAGES OF FEMININITY, THE STORIES OF EVA LUNA BY ISABEL ALLENDE

Author(s): Aritina Micu-Iancu
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Theory of Literature, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Editura Aeternitas
Keywords: femininity; otherness; female projections; female archetypes; the third woman;

Summary/Abstract: In the “Feminist Lexicon”, femininity is defined by subordination to three fundamental principles: “the ethic of caring, self-sacrifice for the fulfillment of the other (husband, children) and conformity to a male model of sexual attractiveness” (Dragomir&Miroiu, 2002: 146). In breaking down this understanding of the word, we see that it places femininity in a predetermined behavioural and physical pattern. In psychoanalysis, the feminine essence has been associated with passivity, as opposed to the ever-active masculinity. However, the feminine has acquired the character of a driving force through the role of creative motherhood. “The Stories of Eva Luna”, a novel published in 1989 that brings together seemingly disparate stories in a vibrant weave, united by the seductive voice of a new Scheherazade, is a sequel to “Eva Luna” (1987) and is an undeniable testament to the art of storytelling that Isabel Allende masters with refinement. In a succulent language capable of establishing life, the Chilean writer brings to the attention of an almost hypnotized reader, one by one, slices of the world that combine in a perfect balance revenge, madness, greed, passion, crime and love, generosity, kindness. To the exotic characters, multiple female juxtapositions, a different ethical grid is applied in which capital sins do not succeed in mutilating them, on the contrary, they add a degree of humanity.

  • Issue Year: 1/2023
  • Issue No: 14
  • Page Range: 157-174
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Romanian