Letters of a Peruvian Woman (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

De Graffigny, Francoise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199208174 ISBN 13: 9780199208173

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA, 2009

Synopsis

One of the most popular novels of the eighteenth century, the Letters of a Peruvian Woman recounts the story of Zilia, an Inca Virgin of the Sun, who is captured by the Spanish conquistadores and brutally separated from her lover, Aza. She is rescued and taken to France by Déterville, a nobleman, who is soon captivated by her. The novel portrays Zilia's feelings on her separation from both her lover and her culture, and her experience of a new and alien society. By fusing sentimental fiction and social commentary, Françoise de Graffigny created a new kind of heroine, defined by her intellect as much as her feelings and challenging traditional assumptions about the role of women both in fiction and society. This first fully annotated English translation of the novel includes a comprehensive introduction, appendices containing extracts from Graffigny's principal source, Garcilosa's Royal Commentaries of Peru, as well as contemporary French and English continuations/adaptations of the novel.

About this title

Review:

Elegantly translated. (Maya Slater, Times Literary Supplement)

Synopsis:

'It has taken me a long time, my dearest Aza, to fathom the cause of that contempt in which women are held in this country ...' Zilia, an Inca Virgin of the Sun, is captured by the Spanish conquistadores and brutally separated from her lover, Aza. She is rescued and taken to France by Deterville, a nobleman, who is soon captivated by her. One of the most popular novels of the eighteenth century, the Letters of a Peruvian Woman recounts Zilia's feelings on her separation from both her lover and her culture, and her experience of a new and alien society. Francoise de Graffigny's bold and innovative novel clearly appealed to the contemporary taste for the exotic and the timeless appetite for love stories. But by fusing sentimental fiction and social commentary, she also created a new kind of heroine, defined by her intellect as much as her feelings. The novel's controversial ending calls into question traditional assumptions about the role of women both in fiction and society, and about what constitutes 'civilization'.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0199208174
• ISBN 13: 9780199208173
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208