MULTIPLE IMAGINI ALE FEMINITĂȚII, “POVESTIRILE EVEI LUNA” DE ISABEL ALLENDE

Abstract

In the “Feminist Lexicon”, femininity is defined by subordination to three fundamental principles: “the ethic of caring, self-sacrifice for the fulfillment of the other (husband, children) and conformity to a male model of sexual attractiveness” (Dragomir&Miroiu, 2002: 146). In breaking down this understanding of the word, we see that it places femininity in a predetermined behavioural and physical pattern. In psychoanalysis, the feminine essence has been associated with passivity, as opposed to the ever-active masculinity. However, the feminine has acquired the character of a driving force through the role of creative motherhood. “The Stories of Eva Luna”, a novel published in 1989 that brings together seemingly disparate stories in a vibrant weave, united by the seductive voice of a new Scheherazade, is a sequel to “Eva Luna” (1987) and is an undeniable testament to the art of storytelling that Isabel Allende masters with refinement. In a succulent language capable of establishing life, the Chilean writer brings to the attention of an almost hypnotized reader, one by one, slices of the world that combine in a perfect balance revenge, madness, greed, passion, crime and love, generosity, kindness. To the exotic characters, multiple female juxtapositions, a different ethical grid is applied in which capital sins do not succeed in mutilating them, on the contrary, they add a degree of humanity.