Inside This Unit: The Full Breakdown
Theme 2, “La construcción del género,” examines how works construct and critique gender roles, female agency, and power — from Sor Juana to Lorca and Pardo Bazán.
Why it matters
Gender is one of the most frequently tested themes, and several canonical required works (Sor Juana, Lorca) center it directly.
Key concepts
- Sor Juana’s “Hombres necios” is an early critique of gender double standards.
- Lorca’s “La casa de Bernarda Alba” dramatizes repression and confinement.
- Symbols (confinement, color) and irony carry gender critique.
- Honor codes often police women’s conduct.
Critiquing Gender Roles
Works expose patriarchal expectations through symbol and irony. The closed house in “La casa de Bernarda Alba” symbolizes repression; the red stockings in Pardo Bazán’s “Las medias rojas” mark a thwarted aspiration crushed by patriarchal violence; Sor Juana’s conceptista wit indicts male hypocrisy.
Devices and Voice
Analyze how a female speaker’s perspective, symbolism, and irony construct or resist gender norms. Recognize conceptismo (dense, witty argumentation) in Sor Juana and dramatic symbolism in Lorca.
AP exam tip
When a prompt centers gender, build your thesis around a specific device (symbol, irony) rather than summarizing the plot.
Connections to other units
- Theme 1: Gender intersects with race and class.
- Theme 5: Family and interpersonal power often hinge on gender.
