The Configuration of the Gothic and Feminist Agency in Cometierra by Dolores Reyes

Abstract

This paper aims to explore how Gothic elements and feminist agency are articulated in Cometierra (2019) by the Argentine author Dolores Reyes. We argue that the Gothic framework in the novel functions as a tool to illuminate crimes such as femicide and gender-based violence, while simultaneously critiquing the role of state structures in sustaining the status quo around such violence. The material reality of the Buenos Aires suburbs serves as a foundation for constructing a Gothic atmosphere in which the consequences of unbridled capitalism and systemic violence are laid bare. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s theories on the cultural politics of emotion, we demonstrate that, through vulnerability, heightened empathy, and affective engagement, Cometierra is constructed as a feminist subject who destabilizes the patriarchal order and forges both feminist and communal bonds.