Dec 25, 2009

Like Water for Chocolate | Literary Precedents

Like Water for Chocolate suggests a variety of precedents, some seriously and some ironically. One form Esquivel borrows is the nineteenth-century Mexican women's magazine, called a "calendar for young ladies." In these publications, fiction appeared in monthly installments, interspersed with recipes, home remedies, dressmaking patterns, short poems, moral advice, home decorating hints, and upcoming events. These stories were sentimental, the characters stereotypical, the plots melodramatic. This fiction was looked down upon by the literary establishment, but was very important to...