The novels of Josefina Aldecoa: women, society and cultural memory in contemporary Spain

Abstract

Josefina Aldecoa, in her treatment of themes such as a woman's place in society under and after dictatorship, mother-daughter relationships, war, and memory, confirmed her unique role as a contemporary novelist concerned with women's identity in Spain and as a writer of the mid-century generation ('los ninos de la guerra'). The first volume of her trilogy, 'Historia de una maestra', was one of the earliest narratives of historical memory to be produced in Spain. In this sense, Aldecoa's work anticipated new developments in gender studies, such as the intersection of feminist concerns and cultural memory. This book offers a comprehensive examination of Aldecoa's trajectory as a novelist, from 'La enredadera' to 'Hermanas', centring on her primary preoccupations of gender and memory, arguing that Aldecoa's fiction offers a new, more complex understanding of women's identity than previously understood. The work combines the two dominating theoretical components of feminism and cultural memory with close textual analysis of Aldecoa's narratives. Her novels highlight the importance of the details of women's daily experiences and struggles throughout the twentieth century, a period of significant socio-political upheaval and change in Spain's history. NUALA KENNY teaches Spanish at the National University of Maynooth, Ireland.