Spanish women writers and the concept of feminine literature

Abstract

The article analyzes the position of Spanish contemporary women writers towards qualifying their literary work by means of gender criterion. Most of the writers (from Ana María Matute to Almudena Grandes) protest against such assignments, given the fact that sex or gender are not sufficient to create a category within literary studies. The general qualification of women’s literature as conventional and commercial is examined and pointed out as a contribution to the rejection of the category by women authors. Only open feminists (like Lucía Etxebarría) seem to accept and explore the gender reflection on literary activity. With or without authors’ consent, the controversial attribution of “women’s writing” is a fact, practised day by day by journalists, editors and commerce. The final conclusion indicates that the qualification follows the receptor’s and not the author’s perspective.