This distinction is especially helpful when we consider that both characters use female pronouns and adjectives when describing themselves in relation to the men in their lives. While some critics prefer the label of “homosexual” in their studies of these protagonists, I prefer the use of “transgender,” as I feel it is more accurate in discussing characters who truly do identify more with women interested in pursuing relationships with men, rather than identifying themselves as men attracted to other men. El beso de la mujer araña tells the story of two cellmates in prison for very different reasons – Valentín for revolutionary activity and Molina for seducing a minor.
El lugar sin límites is the story of la Manuela, a transgender prostitute in a decrepit town with little hope for the future. Both novels question traditional gender roles and “types,” as the concepts of “feminine ,” “masculine,” “man” and “woman” are all reconfigured in the light of marginalized characters’ struggles to find a “place” in a society unwilling to accommodate them as part of the mainstream. Their struggle for acceptance in a society resistant to accepting them on their own terms reveals the stereotypes and assumptions linked to sex, gender, and sexual orientation. YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY FANTASIZING THE FEMININE: SEX AND GENDER IN DONOSO’S EL LUGAR SIN LÍMITES AND PUIG’S EL BESO DE LA MUJER ARAÑA JESSICA BURKE THICK with tensions surrounding issues of sex and gender, both José Donoso’s 1966 novel El lugar sin límites and Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel El beso de la mujer araña have biologically male protagonists that identify themselves as “women,” and create definitions of womanhood that would include them. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:
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