On the basis of the evidence that several Latin American writers are inspired from historical facts like the European colonization of the American continent that are vital in the sociohistorical evolution of peoples, I am interested in exploring in this research how female characters are depicted. My hypothesis is that there is in contemporary novelists — Peruavian-American Lucía Fox and Chilean- American Isabel Allende— a clear and feminist awareness of the interrelationship between fiction and the historical and historiographic record in the literary history of Latin America My goal is to put the record straight about the official stories where women’s involvement has been purged clean f their pages; and in so doing women will be able to shape new and dynamic representations of women in colonial times of various peoples and countries of th...

This research focuses on Leonor Espinoza de Menéndez´s novel, Zarela. A feminist story (1915?)raising the need to change the status of women in the early 20th century in Peru through legalrecognition of civic, educational and labour rights of women. The gender issues, ideologicalrepresentations of male and female characters and abusive relationships help understand thetraditional and misogynist society´s context that was backed by State, legal and cultural institutions inorder to maintain the status quo and social and sexual differences. The writer Espinoza emphasizesthe need for education of women so that she can develop and play a role at work autonomouslyand independently. Her equality feminism calls for urgent changes.

On the basis of the evidence that several Latin American writers are inspired from historical facts like the European colonization of the American continent that are vital in the sociohistorical evolution of peoples, I am interested in exploring in this research how female characters are depicted. My hypothesis is that there is in contemporary novelists — Peruavian-American Lucía Fox and Chilean- American Isabel Allende— a clear and feminist awareness of the interrelationship between fiction and the historical and historiographic record in the literary history of Latin America My goal is to put the record straight about the official stories where women’s involvement has been purged clean f their pages; and in so doing women will be able to shape new and dynamic representations of women in colonial times of various peoples and countries of th...

This research focuses on Leonor Espinoza de Menéndez´s novel, Zarela. A feminist story (1915?)raising the need to change the status of women in the early 20th century in Peru through legalrecognition of civic, educational and labour rights of women. The gender issues, ideologicalrepresentations of male and female characters and abusive relationships help understand thetraditional and misogynist society´s context that was backed by State, legal and cultural institutions inorder to maintain the status quo and social and sexual differences. The writer Espinoza emphasizesthe need for education of women so that she can develop and play a role at work autonomouslyand independently. Her equality feminism calls for urgent changes.