The Female Vampire in Hispanic Literature
A Critical Anthology of Turn of the 20th Century Gothic-Inspired Tales
Editor(s) Megan DeVirgilis
Language: English
Genre(s): Literary Criticism
Series: Gothic Originals
- November 2024 · 168 pages ·234x156mm
- · Hardback - 9781837721689
- · eBook - pdf - 9781837721696
- · eBook - epub - 9781837721702
About The Book
This book exposes how turn-of-the-twentieth-century Hispanic authors broke from European and American Gothic models to contend with their own anxieties over modernity and rising first-wave feminisms. The result was a trend of sympathetic female vampires, predating comparable Anglo and European representations by several decades. In its analysis of the female vampire in Hispanic literature, the critical introduction also traces the Gothic’s origins and developments in Latin America and Spain, presenting a working theory of Gothic traditions in the form of a transhispanic literary phenomenon. The tales compiled in the collection include Leopoldo Lugones’s ‘The Female Vampire’ (1899), Clemente Palma’s ‘The White Farmhouse’ (1904), Antonio de Hoyos y Vinent’s ‘Mr. Cadaver and Miss Vampire’ (1910), Carmen de Burgos’s The Cold Woman (1922), and Horacio Quiroga’s ‘The Vampire’ (1927). Only two of these tales have been previously been translated into English, and each appears here for the first time with scholarly annotations and accompanying analysis.
Endorsements
‘A brave and necessary celebration of “monstrous” women in Spanish and Latin American gothic fiction. Brilliantly contextualised and carefully crafted, this volume redefines gothic criticism, offering profound insights into gender, culture, and literature that will undoubtedly shape future discussions in these fields.’
Dr Inés Ordiz, National University of Distance Education, Madrid
‘Reading the sympathetic female vampire, DeVirgilis engages issues of gender, sexuality and social class. Her work contributes a significant missing piece to the broader understanding of vampirism, bridging the gaps between the Hispanic and Anglo traditions … and will become an essential reference for researchers, students and enthusiasts of the Gothic genre.’
Dr Sandra Casanova-Vizcaíno, Binghamton University
‘This anthology presents a groundbreaking exploration of early twentieth-century female vampires in Hispanic fiction. In a collection of stories by Spanish and Latin American authors, the book examines the female vampire as a figure that challenges traditional patriarchal values, reflecting anxieties around gender, autonomy and the social norms of the period. Each tale offers a unique blend of Gothic, modernist and decadent aesthetics, inviting readers to reconsider the cultural significance of the “monstrous feminine” in a Hispanic context. This work is essential for scholars interested in transnational Gothic literature and the nuanced portrayal of female agency in early modern Hispanic narratives.’
Dr Miriam López Santos, Universidad de León
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
I.Introduction
a.The Sympathetic Female Vampire: A Transhispanic Gothic Literary Phenomenon at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
b.Introductory Essays to the Tales in this Collection
c.Select Bibliography
II.Note on the Text
III.Translations of the Tales
a.‘The Female Vampire’ (1899), Leopoldo Lugones
b.‘The White Farmhouse’ (1904), Clemente Palma
c.‘Mr. Cadaver and Miss Vampire’ (1910), Antonio de Hoyos y Vinent
d.The Cold Woman (1922), Carmen de Burgos
e.‘The Vampire’ (1927), Horacio Quiroga
IV.Explanatory Notes