This project reevaluates the depiction of animals in Mexican literature authored by women, spanning from the late twentieth century to the present. It explores how sociocultural attitudes shape literary portrayals of animals and highlights early uses of animal figures to address themes such as violence, marginalization, and passivity. These writers often juxtapose the human and animal realms, yet a closer reading reveals efforts to restore animals’ significance within the literary domain. The dissertation demonstrates how contemporary Mexican women writers portray animals with heightened awareness, granting them narrative roles, voices, and agency. Its broader goal is to promote literature that resists the instrumentalization of animals and instead presents them as sentient beings.
Animals have long occupied a meaningful place in literature, and the enduring tradition of bestiaries stands as a testament to their symbolic and narrative power. In Mexican literature, this interest is evident in works such as Juan José Arreola’s Bestiario (1959), Augusto Monterroso’s La oveja negra (1969), and the poetry of Eduardo Lizalde and José Emilio Pacheco. As Javier Hernández Quezada explains in “De risas y bestiarios,” animals often appear in contexts of violence, whether for consumption, labor, entertainment, or ritual. In more favorable depictions, animals serve as companions. Recent scholarship reflects a growing interest in the emotional bonds between animals and humans. Alejandro Lámbarry notes a shift in literature where animals now play central roles, and Hernández Quezada emphasizes their communicative gestures. Yet, little attention has been given to how Mexican women writers present animals as active subjects and vehicles for social critique.
This work initiates a conversation on how women's literature reveals the complexity of animals' lives, their suffering, and the urgency of their protection. As Marian Scholtmeijier argues, women’s fiction often affirms “otherness,” giving voice to the marginalized, both human and nonhuman. Chapter 1 examines violence and captivity. Chapter 2 links animal voices to indigenous resistance in Chiapas. Chapter 3 critiques machismo, highlighting how women’s care for animals becomes an act of mutual liberation. Chapter 4 explores motherhood as a cross-species bond, showing how even insects shape identity and challenge normative views of the female body.
