| Summary: | This thesis discusses the poetry of the Argentine writer, Alfonsina Storni, in relation to the particular context in which she was writing. Specific bases for interpretation are set out; they include a consideration of gender topics and other relevant political and cultural issues. As Storni's work addresses a range of concerns regarding the social construction of the female body, a method of reading is required that deploys an understanding of the body as both physical and socio-cultural, allowing all of the major aspects to be treated. The type of analysis applied, corporal criticism, is often found within the social sciences but rarely employed within literature; the following study demonstrates that it is highly applicable to this field, particularly in the case of women writers, or other marginalised groups. The thesis consists of two parts; the first is an exploration of constructions of the body within various forms of discourse in early twentieth-century Argentina: institutional, popular and erudite. I document a variety of negative stereotypes, and then look at those discursive forces (such as journalism and popular theatre) which were able to oppose the restrictions imposed on women. I then examine how Storni made use of these as strategies of resistance, focusing on language and audience-reception. The second half of the thesis provides an in-depth study of the texts, tracing a clear line of literary development throughout Storni's work on both formal and thematic levels. By identifying those aspects of the poetry that can be considered innovative in relation to conventional definitions of gender and / or genre, I aim to suggest new ways of reading her work. In the conclusion, I examine the relationship between the poetry discussed and the work of contemporary women poets in Argentina, offering insights into the role of Storni's work within the larger context of Latin American poetry.
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