Autobiographical reflections in the dedications of Carmen Martín Gaite's novels

Reflejos autobiográficos en las dedicatorias de las novelas de Carmen Martín Gaite

Abstract

Among the verbal paratexts of an authorial nature that literary works may contain are printed dedications. This study analyzes all the dedications in the novels of the Spanish writer Carmen Martín Gaite (1925-2000), using a corpus of nine paratexts, and provides strategies for literary education. The results confirm that Carmen Martín Gaite included autobiographical content in her dedications and also reflected certain literary elements. The main conclusions point to the possibility of using the analyzed paratexts to achieve specific teaching objectives related to literary competence.