The reconstruction of the body in the poetry of Alfonsina Storni.
[Thesis]
Teitler, Nathalie.
King's College London (University of London)
2000
Ph.D.
King's College London (University of London)
2000
This thesis discusses the poetry of the Argentine writer, Alfonsina Storni, inrelation to the particular context in which she was writing. Specific bases forinterpretation are set out; they include a consideration of gender topics and otherrelevant political and cultural issues. As Storni's work addresses a range of concernsregarding the social construction of the female body, a method of reading is requiredthat deploys an understanding of the body as both physical and socio-cultural, allowingall of the major aspects to be treated. The type of analysis applied, corporal criticism, isoften found within the social sciences but rarely employed within literature; thefollowing study demonstrates that it is highly applicable to this field, particularly in thecase of women writers, or other marginalised groups.The thesis consists of two parts; the first is an exploration of constructions of thebody within various forms of discourse in early twentieth-century Argentina:institutional, popular and erudite. I document a variety of negative stereotypes, and thenlook at those discursive forces (such as journalism and popular theatre) which were ableto oppose the restrictions imposed on women. I then examine how Storni made use ofthese as strategies of resistance, focusing on language and audience-reception.The second half of the thesis provides an in-depth study of the texts, tracing aclear line of literary development throughout Storni's work on both formal and thematiclevels. By identifying those aspects of the poetry that can be considered innovative inrelation to conventional definitions of gender and / or genre, I aim to suggest new waysof reading her work. In the conclusion, I examine the relationship between the poetrydiscussed and the work of contemporary women poets in Argentina, offering insightsinto the role of Storni's work within the larger context of Latin American poetry.