The failed quest-romance: Lucía Etxebarria's Nosotras que no somos como las demás. Issue 2 (2nd April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ross, Catherine B.
• Is Part Of: Symposium. Volume 70:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 80
• Page End: 89
• Publication Date: 2016-04-02
• Subjects: Etxebarria -- feminism -- mirror -- Nosotras que no somos como las demás -- quest-romance -- short story -- Spain; Literature -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; Philology, Modern -- Periodicals; Romance literature -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; 809.03
• DOI: 10.1080/00397709.2016.1172000
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0039-7709

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the short story "Desiderata" found in Lucía Etxebarria's 1999 work Nosotras que no somos como las demás . The article analyzes Etxebarria's use of the quest-romance in "Desiderata" and concludes that the quest fails. I explain the concept of the original quest-romance and its feminized version and then relate those concepts to "Desiderata" through a textual analysis of the story. I suggest that Etxebarria writes a failed quest-romance story to illustrate the limits of the quest as a feminist tool of self-discovery. Whereas the experiences of the quest suggest change and freedom, a closer reading shows how the narrative structure reinforces confinements that women face by consistently allowing the female protagonist a taste of change and then using the mirror as a tool to undermine her experiences.