Relaciones entre la representación de género y la consciencia fenoménica en la novela Ifigenia de Teresa de la Parra

An analysis of Teresa de la Parra's novel 'Ifigenia' examines how the character María Eugenia Alonso embodies debates about gender representations and the body. The novel's epistolary and diary format reveals introspective, experiential aspects of the character, highlighting the quality of her phenomenal consciousness as defined by Ned Block. The work questions whether literature can contribute to the philosophy of consciousness by illustrating how subjective experience and gender norms intersect in a woman's self-awareness and bodily representation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The study of the novel Ifigenia. (Diario de una señorita que escribió porque se fastidiaba) by Teresa de la Parra, allows us to propose a debate over the representations of gender (woman, the feminine) and the body in the character of María Eugenia Alonso and her relationship with representation and phenomenal consciousness (Ned Block). The narrative structure of the novel (epistle and diary) offers us the possibility of addressing introspective and experiential elements of the character, which facilitates the consideration of certain aspects of the quality of the experience and invites us to question the usefulness of literature for the study of the philosophy of consciousness.