Power, the body and lived experience: Woman in Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo's Recuerdo

• Main Author: Lago, Amanda
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2010
• Subjects: Feminism and literature > Philippines; Women and literature > Philippines; Feminism in literature; Comparative Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2410
• Institution: De La Salle University

This thesis attempts to determine if Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo's novel, Recuerdo, portrays women in a way that allows for the liberation of its characters from the cycle of Patriarchal dominance. Ultimately, this thesis attempts to determine whether or not such a portrayal of women reflects a feminist perspective. The analysis is divided into three parts which follow the novel's chronological development. In carrying out the analysis, the thesis first situates the characters in a field of power relations, according to Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, and legitimacy, as appropriated by Toril Moi. After the characters are situated, the analysis then delves into a discussion of the characters themselves, adopting Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of lived experience, again mediated by Toril Moi. This analysis allows for a character-centered discussion, and is ultimately done to be able to determine whether the novel presents a liberating perspective on women, or not.