The discursivity of the covers of The country of women, by writer Gioconda Belli on utopia and dystopia

Abstract

Nicaraguan author Gioconda Belli, born in the city of Managua on December 9, 1948, wrote the novel The Country of Women. In addition to being an activist and militant, she is a writer who brings to her literary productions love for her country and the search for gender equity in public and private spaces. This article provides a brief discursive analysis of the covers of this novel, from the perspective of utopia and dystopia. The problem presented is: what is the discursive nature of the covers of O País das Mulheres about utopia and dystopia in the context of contemporary feminist critical theory in Latin America? The general objective is to reflect on the aspects of utopia and dystopia on the covers of the aforementioned book, observing whether they corroborate feminist critical theory and cultural studies in Latin America, reflecting on the discourses of utopia and dystopia. The methodology used for theoretical and analytical production is of a bibliographic nature, as authors of feminist literary criticism and utopia and/or dystopia were used. For the analysis, covers of the book O País das Mulheres were collected on the public domain website – Google Images – for analysis and discussion purposes on how the structure of patriarchy is deconstructed on these covers. From this approach, it was understood that the social roles of men and women are redefined in a utopian characteristic of equity and in a plan of hope and transformation, widely discussed and claimed by feminist literary criticism, in addition to also bringing dystopian moments necessary for the deconstruction of patriarchy. It is believed that this work is fundamental for thinking about Latin American feminist demands, as it brings up struggles that sister countries also experience in contemporary times, involving gender politics between men and women.