Treacherous Love: The Rewriting of two Heroines: Juana la Loca and Malintzin

Abstract

This essay focuses on the rewriting of the historical narrative regarding two women: Joan the Mad and Malintzin, by two female authors from a feminist perspective. Gioconda Belli and Laura Esquivel suppress the traditional vision which has marked their protagonists utilizing the concept of historiographic metafiction by Linda Hutcheon. History, which for the most part, has been written by men, found these protagonists lacking or unworthy. From the authors’ points of view, these women have transcendental value. For this reason, the authors deemed to rewrite the historical narratives from the perspectives of the heroines themselves in an effort to allow the women to speak for themselves and regain the merit lost to them. The authors demonstrate that history is not complete without all the voices and versions.