Carmens and Lolas: Representations of Spanish women in Portuguese Travel Literature of the second half of the 19th century

Abstract

The Portuguese travel narratives to Spain published inthe second half of the nineteenth century pay a special attention to the female figure. The several authors who have traveled to the neighboring country, as like all other writers,insist on describing the Spanish woman, who is frequently pictured as beautiful, sensual, and provocative. By prosopopoeia and ethopoeia, the image of the Spanish womanis embedded in the collective imaginary, passing from one travel narrative to another. However, this image will suffer slight variations over time, because the mentality of travelers is changing and, specifically, with the advent of the late nineteenth century, some travelers begin to discover how much this romantic image of Spain was fictionalized. And although it still remains, we can already find clear signs that changes in mentalities have taken place and that travelers question stereotypes and clichés.