Art, Gender, and Sexuality : New Readings of Cernuda's Later Poetry

Abstract

This study opens up new avenues of inquiry into the work of Luis Cernuda. It analyses the representation of aesthetics, gender, and sexuality in his last four books of poetry by drawing on work in aesthetics, feminism, gay/lesbian studies, and psychoanalysis. The central concern is to examine the terms in which Cernuda represents particular identities, including the poet's identity, masculinity, femininity, and male homosexuality. The study explores Cernuda's creation of a collective mythology of freedom to change contemporary Spanish culture and examines his many-sided portrayal of gender, including the potential of women's identity to disrupt masculinity. It also discusses male homosexuality through the lenses of perversion and self-shattering.