Frankenstein, Jane Eyre and Snow White with a gender-based perspective: The Madwoman in the Attic' and the beginning of feminist literary criticism

"Alicia de la Fuente explains that 'La loca del desvan' is a book that forms the backbone of feminist literary criticism, remaining entirely relevant today and accessible to everyone."

"The essay, which started as an academic paper, won the U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, covering works by Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, and others."

"Bertha Mason, trapped in the attic by her husband, represents the marginalized woman, labeled as hysteric or crazy for rejecting societal expectations of docility and self-sacrifice."

Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' faced restrictions for women writers in 1847. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's 'The Madwoman in the Attic' emerged during the second wave of feminism in 1979. Espinas is releasing a new edition of the Spanish translation, emphasizing its significance in feminist literary criticism. Alicia de la Fuente aims to make this essential text accessible. The essay analyzes works by notable women authors and critiques patriarchal norms, particularly through the character of Bertha Mason, who symbolizes the marginalized woman in literature.

Read at english.elpais.com