This book examines narratives of madness written by women in the context of postmodern Latin American literature. It explores a selection of canonical writers: Cristina Peri Rossi (la nave de los locos/ Ship of Fools, 1984), Lya Luft (La... more
This book examines narratives of madness written by women in the context of postmodern Latin American literature. It explores a selection of canonical writers: Cristina Peri Rossi (la nave de los locos/ Ship of Fools, 1984), Lya Luft (La casa vermelha/ The Red House, 1987), Daniela Eltit (El infarto del alma/Soul's Infart, 1994), Cristina Rivera Garza (Nadie me verá llorar/ No One Will See Me Cry, 1999) and Laura Restrepo (Delirio/ Delirium, 2004). Close reading of these works reveal a pattern of literary techniques --a poetic of madness- employed by the writers to represent conditions that defy language, make political crisis tangible and register cultural perceptions of mental illness through literature.
This is the first book devoted representations of madness in Latin American narratives that establishes a dialogue between theories from the Anglo-European tradition and Latin American perspectives.
