The Darling

Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book The Darling by Lorraine M. López, University of Arizona Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lorraine M. López ISBN: 9780816532254
Publisher: University of Arizona Press Publication: September 24, 2015
Imprint: University of Arizona Press Language: English
Author: Lorraine M. López
ISBN: 9780816532254
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Publication: September 24, 2015
Imprint: University of Arizona Press
Language: English

Latina bibliophile Caridad falls out of love again and again, with much help from Anton Chekhov, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser, D. H. Lawrence, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Hardy, and other deceased white men of letters. Raised in a household of women, she rejects examples of womanhood offered by her long-suffering mother, her caustic eldest sister Felicia, and her pliant and sentimental middle sister Esperanza. Instead Caridad, a compulsive reader, educates herself about love and what it means to be a sentient and intelligent woman by reading classic literature written by men, and supplements this with life lessons gleaned from her relationships.

Though set in Los Angeles from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the narrative reinscribes Anton Chekhov’s short story, “The Darling,” first published in 1899. Like Chekhov’s protagonist, Caridad engages in various relationships in her search for love and fulfillment. Rather than absorbing beliefs held by the men in her life, as does Chekhov’s heroine, Caridad instead draws on her lovers’ resources in attempting to improve and educate herself. Apart from Chekhov, various authors of classic literature further guide Caridad’s quest to find herself and to find love, inspiring her longing for love, while also enabling her to disentangle herself from unsatisfying to disastrous relationships by encouraging her to strive for an ideal.

In a moment of clarity, Caridad compares herself to a trapeze artist near the top of a striped tent as she flies from one man to the next, expecting to be caught and held until she is ready to leap again. Flying, she wonders—or is she falling?

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Latina bibliophile Caridad falls out of love again and again, with much help from Anton Chekhov, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser, D. H. Lawrence, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Hardy, and other deceased white men of letters. Raised in a household of women, she rejects examples of womanhood offered by her long-suffering mother, her caustic eldest sister Felicia, and her pliant and sentimental middle sister Esperanza. Instead Caridad, a compulsive reader, educates herself about love and what it means to be a sentient and intelligent woman by reading classic literature written by men, and supplements this with life lessons gleaned from her relationships.

Though set in Los Angeles from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the narrative reinscribes Anton Chekhov’s short story, “The Darling,” first published in 1899. Like Chekhov’s protagonist, Caridad engages in various relationships in her search for love and fulfillment. Rather than absorbing beliefs held by the men in her life, as does Chekhov’s heroine, Caridad instead draws on her lovers’ resources in attempting to improve and educate herself. Apart from Chekhov, various authors of classic literature further guide Caridad’s quest to find herself and to find love, inspiring her longing for love, while also enabling her to disentangle herself from unsatisfying to disastrous relationships by encouraging her to strive for an ideal.

In a moment of clarity, Caridad compares herself to a trapeze artist near the top of a striped tent as she flies from one man to the next, expecting to be caught and held until she is ready to leap again. Flying, she wonders—or is she falling?

More books from University of Arizona Press

Cover of the book Chaco Revisited by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Voices of Crime by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Doing Good by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Understanding the Arizona Constitution by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Hopi Basket Weaving by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Indian Resilience and Rebuilding by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Beyond Chaco by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Born of Resistance by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Seeds of Resistance, Seeds of Hope by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Just Between Us by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Sonora by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book The Aztecs at Independence by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book The Real Horse by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Before Kukulkán by Lorraine M. López
Cover of the book Barrio Dreams by Lorraine M. López
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy