The workings of memory : life-writing by women in early twentieth-century Spain

The Process Of Modernization That Occurred In Spanish Society In The First Decades Of The Twentieth Century Resulted In Significant Changes In All Aspects Of Life, From Economic And Social Structures To The Emergence Of New Cultural Modes And Values. While These Decades Brought New Opportunities For Women And A Degree Of Social And Intellectual Freedom, Female Writers And Intellectuals In Early Twentieth-century Spain Nevertheless Encountered Many Obstacles In Their Efforts To Transcend Gender Barriers And Participate In The Literary And Cultural Scene Of The Day. This Book Focuses On The Life-writing Produced By Four Women Writers And Intellectuals Who Were Active In The Madrid Cultural Arena During This Period: Carmen Baroja (1883-1950), Maria Martinez Sierra (1874-1974), Maria Teresa Leon (1903-1988), And Concha Mendez (1898-1986). The Study Examines The Ways In Which These Writers Portray Their Positioning In Relation To Dominant Cultural Models Of The Time And Their Engagement With Political And Social Issues In A Period Of Changing Gender Dynamics And Political Instability. In Broader Terms, This Book Examines The Complex Relationships Between Memory, Writing, And Identity, And Thus Contributes To The Growing Field Of Explorations Of The Workings Of Memory In Narrative.--book Jacket. Women On The Literary Scene In Early Twentieth-century Madrid -- The Woman Writer In Early Twentieth-century Spain : Literary, Cultural, And Gender Politics -- Carmen Baroja Y Nessi (1883-1950), Recuerdos De Una Mujer De La Generación Del 98 : Negotiating The Discourse Of Domesticity -- María Martínez Sierra (1874-1974), Una Mujer Por Caminos De España And Gregorio Y Yo : Writing, Politics, And Feminism -- María Teresa León (1903-1988), Memoria De La Melancolía : The Politics Of Memory -- Concha Méndez (1898-1986), Memorias Habladas, Memorias Armadas : The Female Intellectual And The Generation Of 1927 -- Revising Literary History : Memory, Writing, And Identity. Sarah Leggott. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 159-171) And Index. Cover Page 3 Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Women on the Literary Scene in Early Twentieth-Century Madrid 13 1 The Woman Writer in Early Twentieth-Century Spain: Literary, Cultural, and Gender Politics 22 2 Carmen Baroja y Nessi (1883–1950), Recuerdos de una mujer de la generacion del 98: Negotiating the Discourse of Domesticity 46 3 Marıa Martınez Sierra (1874–1974), Una mujer por caminos de Espana and Gregorio y yo: Writing, Politics, and Feminism 68 4 Marıa Teresa Leon (1903–1988), Memoria de la melancolıa: The Politics of Memory 94 5 Concha Mendez (1898–1986), Memorias habladas, Memorias armadas: The Female Intellectual and the ‘‘Generation of 1927’’ 118 Conclusion: Revising Literary History: Memory, Writing, and Identity 142 Notes 151 Works Cited 159 Index 172 Focuses on the life-writing produced by four women writers and intellectuals who were active in the Madrid cultural arena during this period: Carmen Baroja, Maria Martinez Sierra, Maria Teresa Leon, and Concha Mendez. This study examines the ways in which these writers portray their positioning in relation to dominant cultural models of the time.