“Al patriotismo de las más sensibles”: Las mujeres y la independencia en la actual literatura ecuatoriana

Abstract

Within the framework of celebrations of the Bicentenary of Independence my essay aims at the memory of contemporary events preserved in literature, focusing on how women who were in favour of the independence are remembered. My main thesis is that whenever social and political claims against the Spanish Empire arise, cultural demands towards the feminine appear at the same time. Two literary portraits will serve as examples: Manuela by Luis Zuñiga and Judith in Juan Valdano´s novel Mientras llega el día. As they are depicted as subversive women who fought for the independence, they are opposed to traditional patriarchal texts where they used to be suppressed. Now they have to be considered important in history which traditionally gave little attention to women´s deeds in such decisive times.