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The article delves into the symbolic power of solitude and northern femininity within Spanish feminist literature. It sheds light on how representations of northern women transcended mere symbols of individual freedom, also reflecting Europe’s view of the north as a source of renewed femininity. However, in the Spanish context, where feminism bore values tied to motherhood, this northern, independent female figure was charged with the detrimental aspects of solitude. The study weaves together the works of Carmen de Burgos, Elena Fortún, and Federica Montseny, all of whom were involved in feminist movements spanning various ideologies. Their portrayals of a solitary and destructive female figure bearing marked northern traits construct an image of captivating yet perilous femininity. Through these literary explorations, the article underscores the era’s intricate dynamics among feminism, identity, and Spain’s complex relationship with European whiteness.

L’article explore le pouvoir symbolique de la solitude et de la féminité nordique dans la littérature féministe espagnole. Il met en lumière la manière dont les représentations des femmes du nord ont transcendé de simples symboles de liberté individuelle, reflétant également la vision de l’Europe du nord comme source de féminité renouvelée. Cependant, dans le contexte espagnol, où le féminisme était associé à des valeurs liées à la maternité, cette figure féminine indépendante du nord était chargée des aspects nuisibles de la solitude. L’étude rassemble les œuvres de Carmen de Burgos, Elena Fortún et Federica Montseny, toutes impliquées dans des mouvements féministes couvrant diverses idéologies. Leurs portraits d’une figure féminine solitaire et destructive, portant des traits nordiques prononcés, construisent une image de la féminité à la fois captivante et périlleuse. À travers ces explorations littéraires, l’article souligne la dynamique complexe de l’époque entre le féminisme, l’identité et la relation compliquée de l’Espagne avec la blancheur européenne.

This article focuses on how self-censorship and state censorship have shapedthe literary legacy of the Spanish author of children’s books, Elena Fortún. Thehomosexual closet is presented as a key concept for understanding the impact ofcensorship on the work of a lesbian writer such as Fortún who has contributedto various narratives of Spanish femininity over the course of almost a century.The first of these is the narrative of gender dissidence during the Second Republic(1931–1939); followed by the narrative of the wife and mother belonging to theFranco Regime (1939–1975); and finally the LGBTQ inclusiveness of the newmillennium in Spain (2005–2022). The works included in the analysis arevaried, spanning from Fortún’s children’s books to her correspondence andfinally two posthumously published novels. This reading of Fortún’s texts revealshow censorship works as a controlling gaze that not only operates from theoutside, but is also internalized in the individual, maintaining the doors of thehomosexual closet closed from the inside.

Članek se osredotoča na to, kako sta samocenzura in državna cenzura obli-kovali literarno zapuščino španske avtorice otroških knjig Elene Fortún.Klo-zetje predstavljen kot ključni koncept za razumevanje vpliva cenzure na delolezbične pisateljice, kot je Elena Fortún, ki je skoraj stoletje prispevala k raz-ličnim pripovedim o španski ženskosti. Prva med njimi je pripoved o disi-dentstvu spolov v času druge republike (1931–1939); sledi pripoved o ženi inmateri, ki pripada Francovemu režimu (1939–1975), in nazadnje pripoved ovključevanju LGBTQ v Španiji v novem tisočletju (2005–2022). Dela, vklju-čena v analizo, so raznovrstna, saj segajo od avtoričinih otroških knjig do njenekorespondence in dveh posthumno objavljenih romanov. Branje besedil EleneFortún razkriva, kako cenzura deluje kot nadzorni pogled, ki ne deluje le odzunaj, temveč je tudi ponotranjen v posamezniku in ohranja vrata klozetazaprta od znotraj.

This chapter investigates the queer features of Elena Fortún's New Girl character, Celia, as she appeared in Celia: Lo que dice from 1929. Another contemporary girl character, Leonor Serrano's Diana is used as a comparison to highlight Fortún's foothold in reform pedagogy. The comparison is also used to underscore how Fortún, with her Celia character, goes farther than Serrano in sketching out an independent individual striving for self-determination. The destabilizing characteristics of Celia will be compared with some of the main premises of present-day queer pedagogy. Fortún used a set of narrative devices in her portrayal of Celia as a queer New Girl. First is the conflict of expectations between Celia and adults, second is Celia’s fantasy world, and finally, we have the queer bonds of solidarity among children, animals, and elderly people. In her rendering of Celia, Fortún managed to create a literary portrait of the unlimited possibilities that children create for self-determination through play and fantasy. The conflict between Celia's deviant behavior and adult normativity that runs throughout the tales underscores the girl as a subaltern identity, but it also destabilizes adult power in a way that opens up an interpretation of Celia as a queer character.