Annotated Bibliography

Addis, Yda H. “THE WAILING WOMAN. ‘La Llorona,’ a Legend of Mexico.” Genderwatch, 2019, https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/wailing-woman-la-llorona-legend-mexico/docview/2232613876/se-2?accountid=12761

This source ties back to another one of my sources talking about this version of the tale of La Llorona. This is just one version of the tale that tells of Luisa Haro who was known as the most beautiful girl in Mexico. She was brought from Spain by her father at ten, he died four years later leaving her with no family. She lived alone and sad, unaware of the passions of humanity. When she was in her twenties, she disappeared, and no one knew what happened to her. She had fled with a man Spanish man named Montes-Carlos who had placed her in a beautiful house. Her beauty did not satisfy him, and she was deserted by him with her two children. He eventually went on to marry another woman and after hearing this news, she killed her sons and stabbed herself with a dagger. Addis is an American writer who specializes in translating Mexican folktales. She tells this story as though it is her husband’s fault for cheating on her. In this version, Luisa does not kill herself but instead stabs herself and is later executed after it is discovered what she has done to her children. The writer makes it a point to mention that she received consequences for her husband’s actions while he did not. I will use this as one of the versions of my story because it is useful to see a different view of the tale.

Fuller, Amy. “The Evolving Legend of La Llorona.(Origins of the Wailing Woman in Mexico’s Day of the Dead).” History Today, 2015, pp. 39-44. https://suny-new.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_NEW/1nnhbfk/cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1781525470

This article comes from a magazine specifically focused on history and is written by Amy Fuller who is a lecturer on History of the America with a focus in Spain and Mexico. She has drafted books about history and is currently writing a book exploring the history of Spain. This makes her a very reputable source because of her background in Spanish history which is where the story of La Llorona comes from. This article starts out with a true story about a woman in crisis who was a victim of domestic abuse, trying to drown her children in the river. She believed that she was La Llorona. This shows that La Llorona is a symbol for women, whether that is good or bad, and provides a figure for women to empathize with and compare their own struggles with mental health to. Fuller also describes how La Llorona and her story have evolved over time which helps me to connect her to modern times. The background that Fuller goes into on La Llorona will help with figuring out where she came from and how she has changed over time. This helps develop one of my research questions which is how the story of La Llorona has changed over time. This article will be a huge help in understanding where this story came from and how it has evolved over time and adapted to current times.

 

Richards, Abi. “Silencing of Women around the Globe – Rights of Equality.” Rights of Equality – Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, 4 Nov. 2020, www.rightsofequality.com/the-silencing-of-women-around-the-globe/

This article works for my current event on how men silence women, specifically men in power. Men have so much power over women and are able to dictate what women can do and control their bodies. La Llorona’s husband was a powerful man who, in many versions of the story, kept her at home and out of the public eye. A man shut her away and controlled what she was able to do. She was forced to take care of her two kids alone and her husband showed more love for them than her, despite also abandoning his children. This source comes from a website allowing women to have a platform to speak on the problems they see in the world and about their own problems. The author of this source is a master’s Student at the University College of London and has an interest in the field of women’s rights. She sociology and is aware of how women must be at a disadvantage to the men around them.

Temme, Laura. “Why Was Roe v. Wade Overturned? – FindLaw.” FindLaw, 2023, Why Was Roe v. Wade Overturned? – FindLaw

This source comes from a website about laws that have been passed. This source explains why Roe v. Wade was overturned and what that means for women. It also explains cases that uphold and challenge Roe v. Wade. This source will be useful for my paper because I want to go into Roe v. Wade and how it is a recent example of how men seek to control women. This source has a lot of information on court cases and what would happen without the case in place to protect abortion. This source was legally reviewed, and fact checked by a lawyer which makes it reputable. The author is a female lawyer and writer, using her experience to make law more accessible to a broad audience. She is licensed to practice in Minnesota and has written many articles on women and how court cases affect them. I do not know if I will stick to this source but in the long run, I think it will be helpful.

Treviño, Rene  H. “Absolving La Llorona: Yda H. Addis’s ‘The Wailing Woman.’” Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, University of Nebraska Press, 11 June 2019 https://suny-new.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01SUNY_NEW/1nnhbfk/cdi_openaire_primary_doi_3f6e3002403e1f272da52ccb1d0b85ff

This is a peer reviewed article written by a man with a research background in female gothic literature. This is a trusted source considering his background in women in literature and has a scholarship in women’s studies. This source addresses a certain version of La Llorona by Yda H. Adis and how attempts to translate her story prove how she tried to absolve La Llorona, painting her as a victim rather than an aggressor. This version seeks to strike fear into men who leave their families rather than women for not embracing traditional femininity. While Addis stays true to the original story she adds in feminist aspects, giving the woman a last name which was not part of the original story but important to humanize La Llorona. This is important to my paper as I am looking to show that, while what she did was obviously wrong, what La Llorona did was a product of what she has gone through and not a villain. La Llorona was a human who was put through awful trials and failed to come out on top, falling victim to her jealousy and destroying herself and her children, who she loved, but saw as an extension of her abusive husband.

 

Totenberg, Nina, and Sarah McCammon. “Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Ending Right to Abortion Upheld for Decades.” NPR, NPR, June 2022, www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn

This source talks about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and how men were able to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of women’s lives with one decision. This source is important for my paper because it is a fitting example of how men can silence women and ignore their experience and bodily autonomy just because of their beliefs. It has been proven that abortion helps women around the world in cases of rape and in cases where it is possible, she will die during childbirth. Law makers also allow for guns to be purchased by people who will enter schools with the intention of killing children. This shows that men stop caring about babies once they are born and only care to have another way to control women. These authors of this source are women which adds credibility considering women are directly affected by this change.