Natural history from the feminine perspective: Transatlantic subjectivity in the works of Maria Graham, Nísia Floresta, and Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to study the travel narratives of the British botanist Maria Graham (1785-1842), the Brazilian writer Nísia Floresta (1810-1885), and the Cuban-Spanish author Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda (1814-1873) with the intention of fleshing out our understanding of the feminine perspective of the discourse of natural history. I show that whereas men used this discourse as a means to either justify European imperial expansion or to establish the national identities of the emerging Latin American states, women came to it from a different perspective: they employed the discourse of natural history in an endeavor to subvert social rules and question their own place in society. I address issues related to authority, gender, and the scientific discipline of natural history to demonstrate how, by crossing the Atlantic these women were able to use their Otherness in their favor to place themselves in a better position in the social hierarchy thus constructing what I call a transatlantic subjectivity. As transatlantic subjects, these women achieved an authority to challenge recognized ideas and viewpoints, and by doing so, they managed to establish their own female authority. They employed literary genres considered appropriate for the "weaker sex," such as, letters, diaries, and biographies, and feminized the discourse of natural history to create their own literary authority.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Stephenson, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Latin American literature|Womens studies|Latin American Studies
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