Traces of Lesbianism in Cristina Rivera Garza’s La cresta de Ilión (2002) and Valeria Luiselli’s Los ingrávidos (2011)

Abstract

Much research has been done regarding male queer narratives in contemporary Mexican literature. However, lesbianism has been greatly neglected by criticism. Although works such as Rosamaría Roffiel’s Amora (1989) or Sara Levi Calderón’s Dos mujeres (1990) have garnered some academic attention, little has been written about subsequent narratives. This article moves beyond those works whose main focus is lesbianism in order to understand how peripheral same-sex desire serves to undermine heteronormative patriarcal notions. I analyze Cristina Rivera Garza’s La cresta de Ilión (2002) and Valeria Luiselli’s Los ingrávidos (2011). Because these narratives are not associated with depictions of lesbianism, my work shows how transgressive female desire pervades contemporary Mexican literature.

Keywords

• lesbianism
• queerness
• Mexico
• sexuality
• same-sex desire
• Los ingrávidos
• La cresta de Ilión