La imagen de la mujer de posguerra a través de las obras de Carmen Martín Gaite : ‘Entre visillos’, ‘Retahílas’ y ‘El cuarto de atrás’

Abstract

During the Francoist Spain, women were in search of their identity even though they were restricted and had several obligations from an early age, most of which were imposed on them by Franco´s regime. On the other hand, these same restrictions, paradoxically, resulted in an evolution in the role of the Spanish women and in the nourishment of a feeling and need of self-discovery. The present research work´s intention is to give a clear image of the Spanish women trapped in the 20th century, their relationship with literature and their evolution along the post-war period. These concepts will be studied through the respective analysis of three of Carmen Martín Gaite´s (1925-2000) novels: 'Entre Visillos' (1957), 'Retahílas' (1974) and 'El cuarto de atrás' (1978). This research therefore, will attempt to investigate, with the help of the three chosen novels, the evolution of the post-war women in society, their progress in the Spanish literature and whether the image of the women portrayed in the novels, fully represents the Spanish women between the 50's and 70's. This dissertation will also take in consideration two important concepts; that of the relentless pursuit by women for an own voice and identity and that of the evolution in the feminine consciousness during the Francoist period. Consequently, this work will investigate also how the author manages to solve these concepts through the social context of the post-war period.