Draft:Ifigenia by Teresa de la Parra

Ifigenia by Teresa de la Parra (Novel)

Ifigenia by Teresa de la Parra

Country	Venezuela, France
Language	Spanish, French, English
Published	1924
Publisher	La Socrrlid de Edicionei ’ Le Livre Libre

Ifigenia or Iphigenia: Diary of a Young Lady Who Wrote Because She Was Bored (1924) is a book written by Teresa de la Parra (Ana Teresa Parra Sanojo, Paris 1889 - Madrid 1936) that revolutionized Venezuelan literature by perfectly illustrating Caracas society during the early 1900s. The novel depicts societal expectations, corruption, and a woman’s life in a patriarchal society. Readers are shown four parts of the novel, which begins with the main character María Eugenia Alonso's letters to a friend, Cristina de Iturbe, describing her life after the death of her parents and Alonso's narrative develops through the novel following her sudden move from Europe to Venezuela.

A Closer Look

The story is based around characters in Caracas like María Eugenia's Grandmother, who represents traditional values and societal norms, and Uncle Eduardo, who represents corruption within a system (specifically, corruption in the Venezuelan administration under Juan Vicente Gómez). The main character, María Eugenia Alonso, describes this family dichotomy perfectly with the quote “Cuando estoy encerrada en mi habitación, no leo; escribo todo lo que quiero, porque el papel, este papel blanco luminoso, guarda amorosamente todo para mí cuando se lo digo y nunca, nunca, se escandaliza, ni me regaña, ni pone sus manos abiertas sobre sus orejas...", indicating the oppression she feels inherent in a Venezuelan home of the era and representative of the society at the time (de la Parra).. Ifigenia models de la Parra’s own life as a former European-born, Venezuelan-raised woman living in the early 1900s - this novel is an insightful examen on early 20th century women’s issues, society, and politics (Ramos Rodríguez)

Even the novela’s title, Ifigenia, is a testament to the subjectification of women to societal expectations - the myth of Iphigenia resembles that of María Eugenia’s own experience. In the Greek fable, Iphigenia is sacrificed to the goddess Artemis after the wrongful killing of a sacred deer and separated from the one she loves for the fulfillment of tradition and convention, paralleling that of María Eugenia’s sacrifice of independence in her move to Venezuela from Europe following the death of her parents. These feelings are echoed in a quote in Ifigenia, with María Eugenia stating that “Si al menos hubiera nacido hombre, verías tú, tío Pancho, cómo me divertiría y el caso que haría entonces de Abuelita y de tía Clara. Pero soy mujer y ser mujer es lo mismo que ser canario. Te encierran en una jaula, te cuidan, te dan de comer y no te dejan salir; mientras los demás andan alegres y volando por todas partes” (de la Parra).

Reception in Venezuela and Europe

The author, Teresa de la Parra, published the novel in 1924 in Paris after not receiving grants from Juan Vicente Gómez’s government regime to publish her book, as the dictator saw the publication as a critique on his administration (this forced de la Parra to go abroad, despite his own illiteracy and inability to read the material). The public received the novel as a thinly veiled critique of the dictator in charge, Juan Vicente Gómez. Many of the social and political comments made in Ifigenia were pointed towards Venezuelan society and the administration at the time, Juan Vicente Gómez. Ifigenia also served as a critique on the limitations to opportunities that women had at the time- an idea of chosen destiny forced upon one by the confines/expectations of society (Guerra de Avellaneda). The novel prompted relevant discussions surrounding women's roles and rights in Venezuela. The depictions of Venezuelan economic inequity were highlighted in the novel as well. Namely, de la Parra made observations on class differences and poverty through María Eugenia’s experiences moving to Venezuela, where she narrates basic access issues of the era for those who aren’t considered wealthy.

De la Parra’s publication of Ifigenia in the early 20th century inspired social and political controversy, as many saw its publication and narrative as a road to women’s revolution (Ramos Rodríguez).. This led to a humble reception in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries, as the issues of access and equality that were pointed out were out of the mainstream and contrary to the beliefs of many, specifically men (Ortiz Cardozo). In contrast to Ifigenia’s reception in Venezuela and South America, the novel’s reception in France was huge and widespread. The novel received recognition from the Franco-Ibero-American Publishing House, evidence of the novel’s success abroad (Ortiz Cardozo)