Spanish Literature Commons^™

Isabel Archer And Gertrudis (Tula): Women At The Turn-Fo-The-Century Struggling For Freedom, Kathleen Ann Westerhaus

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Isabel Archer, the protagonist of Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady, and Gertrudis (Tula), the protagonist of Miguel de Unamuno's La T’a Tula are strong, able-bodied women who must combat the restraints of a corseting society. James and Unamuno write with the same agenda to critique how the turn-of-the-century society affected the lives of women. Although heroic in their determination to live life, both Isabel and Gertrudis fall victim to the society that reveres freedom more than passion. If these women had been allowed to not only express their passions but live their love for Caspar Goodwood and …