Literature, history and gender

The construction of the character Elisa Alicia Lynch de Quatrefages in Mujer Apestada: Madame Lynch, el Mariscal López y la Guerra del Paraguay, by Borja Loma Barrie

Abstract

This research aims, based on the contemporary novel Mujer Apestada: Madame Lynch, el Mariscal López y la Guerra del Paraguay, by the Hispanic-Paraguayan writer Borja Loma Barrie, published in 2015, to study the figure of Elisa Alicia Lynch de Quatrefages (1833–1886), companion of Francisco Solano López (1827–1870). To this end, we will take into account studies on the (not always peaceful) relationships between literature and history. However, beyond these premises, which are already well established, we seek to contribute by including discussions on gender issues and womanhoods, a concept borrowed from queer theory, among the performative—and gender—roles of both "the lover and political ally," Madame Lynch, and Paraguayan women during the conflict. Finally, by weaving into the text an understanding of literature and history, we use Esteves (2010), Figueiredo (2010), among others, and, while destabilizing on one hand and grounding on the other the characteristics of gender role construction, we draw on Buarque de Hollanda (2020) and Gago (2020), among others.