Metaphor, metonymy, and mirrors: Female self-reflection in contemporary Spanish novels by women

Abstract

After the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), novels by women, many of which explore female identity, began to proliferate in Spain. The works examined in this study--Nada, Primera memoria, La placa del Diamant, Julia, El cuarto de atras, El amor es un juego solitario, and Cuestion de amor propio--were published between 1945 and 1988, and feature female protagonists struggling for self-realization and autonomy. Each chapter of this study presents an analysis of one of the seven novels, demonstrating how examination of metaphors, metonymy, and mirror images reveals the protagonist's development.

Because metaphor and metonymy are basic tropes of expression, and often reveal subconscious processes, I demonstrate how these tropes illuminate the course of changing identity that the protagonist undergoes. While metaphors convey equivalent expressions that help to transmit meaning, metonymy moves on to associated ideas, and frequently demonstrates change and growth. I examine the metaphors used to describe the protagonist's feelings, and show how subsequent metonymic associations alter the original meaning.

Further, the study focuses on mirror scenes and other mirroring devices that illustrate development (such as mother-daughter relationships, references to fairy tales, intimate communication with a friend, and telling or writing one's own story). I explain how "mirroring" serves both a metaphoric and a metonymic function, and the way the mirror also acts as a trope that reveals modifications in the protagonist's personality.

In addition to the individual evolution of each of the protagonists, my study also underscores the changing socio-political role of women in Spain between 1945 and 1988. Franco's dictatorship (1939-75) created a stifling atmosphere for women. However, my analysis of the metaphors, metonymy, and mirror images in these works indicates a desire to change this repressive situation, and a gradual transformation of women's circumstances in Spain.