Eulalia y Germán: Identity and otherness in Retahílas by Carmen Martín Gaite
Abstract
This article examines the discourses in the novel Retahílas, by Carmen Martín Gaite, with the aim of analyzing the processes of construction of identity and otherness between the two protagonists. The study answers the research question: How are the discourses of identity and otherness described, how are they connected and what is their purpose? A discourse analysis has been carried out at two semiotic-communicative levels based on the theories of Lotman and Bakhtin. The results show certain semiotic elements, analysing the novel as a discourse, that construct the identity of the characters. The protagonists of the novel, moreover, build their own identity on the similarities and differences between them and with other characters, which are included in their discourses through their memories or as a result of the present interaction. The analysis shows that the author manages to reflect through the novel the discursive tensions of identity and otherness that occur in a real relationship between two people.
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