Unraveling Constanza: La emperrada by Marta Blanco

Abstract

This essay is conceived as a first excavation of the identity of the Chilean historical figure Constanza Nordenflycht, ignored in most records of the past, as well as an exploration of the subjectivity of the fictional character of the same name that appears in Marta Blanco 's novel La emperrada, I analyze the dialogic nature of the various discourses, including the protagonist's and the multiple public voices of the choir which appear in sections entitled "They Say, Somewhere. " I also reflect on the tension between the historical and the fictional discourses as a way to figure out the nature of the relationship between the Chilean minister Diego Portales and Constanza Nordenflycht, his lover and mother of the three children he publicly recognized during his life.