Sex, violence and politics: Eroticism in the work of Cristina Peri Rossi

Abstract

Cristina Peri Rossi (Uruguay, 1941) highly privileges sexual and erotic themes in her writing. Although literary critics have tended to eschew this facet of the author's work in favor of her irreverent social critiques, this study proposes to show how the author's erotic representations act both directly and indirectly to articulate such arguments. In this regard, my objectives are twofold: First, I examine how Peri Rossi inscribes her erotic writing into a male-dominated tradition of erotic literature. To this end, I discuss her revision of canonical works which govern/reflect social norms of gender and sexuality, particularly traditional psychoanalytical theory and classic mythology. I then explore how the author's erotic representations relate to the various social concerns she addresses in her writing, specifically issues of sex/gender, sexuality and authoritarian government. Regarding sex/gender, I focus on Peri Rossi's deconstruction of the binary engendering system, resulting in the possibility of change in and/or ambiguity of both sex and sexuality; the author's literary transgressions of social gender roles are also considered. With respect to sexuality, I discuss how Peri Rossi challenges social norms of sexuality through representations of homosexuality, children's sexuality and incest. Finally, I address the author's allegorical indictment of military abuses though sexual and/or erotic depictions. In each of these cases, Peri Rossi transforms eroticism, a traditionally private matter, into a public vehicle capable of opposing and subverting social oppression.