Preludios de la crítica literaria y feminista cubana: la apropiación del prólogo en Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda

This article focuses on Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda’s productivity as a literary critic in the prologues she wrote to introduce the work of her contemporaries. Through the analysis of two specific prologues, one for an autobiographical novel by the Condesa de Merlín and the other for a book of poems by Luisa Pérez de Zambrana, the article seeks to refute canonical interpretations of Avellaneda’s work since the nineteenth century on, which have disregarded her contribution of essays and critical texts as incidental facets in her career as a writer. This proposal begins by examining the restrictions placed on nineteenth-century Cuban women who sought to participate in literary criticism and the specific conflicts that surrounded Gómez de Avellaneda, mainly recognition of authorship and her commitment to the nation. From there, the article offers an analysis of both prologues, showing how the author discusses several taboo issues in nineteenth-century Cuba, such as the construction of a national imaginary from abroad and the intellectual and artistic equality of women.