The New Lesbos: La aldea de las viudas

Abstract

In this article, an approach will be made to the most representative elements of James Cañón's  work La aldea de las viudas. For this, its fundamental compositional aspects will be reviewed: from the textual structure and organization to the founding characters and milestones. All this will be approached from the precepts of the mythical narrative, paying special attention to the Latin American feminist utopia, a literary trend in which La aldea de las viudas is framed, and to the lesbian-themed narrative, a fundamental question for the analysis of the text and this article. This is intended to portray how contemporary Latin American authors have sought the renewal of classical models, offering new perspectives on the recent past and attending to highly current issues and social debates. The work of James Cañón, barely examined by critical studies, is presented as an ideal model in this sense, an effective testimony of the coexistence between the past and the literary and social present.