In Praise of the Stepmother
Encyclopedia
In Praise of the Stepmother is an erotic novel by Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa
, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. Published in 1988, it is about a sexually open couple whose fantasies lead them to the edge of morality.
It also has vivid descriptions and analisis of famous art representing erotic scenes, in particular from the Peruvian painter Fernando de Szyszlo
and the Flemish master Jacob Jordaens
.
Doña Lucrecia – Second wife of Rigoberto and stepmother of Alfonsito,
Alfonsito (Fonchito) – Son of Don Rigoberto,
Justiniana – Domestic Employee
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...
, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010. Published in 1988, it is about a sexually open couple whose fantasies lead them to the edge of morality.
Story
Lucrecia and Rigoberto are an upper middle class married couple. On the outside, they look like an average Peruvian couple of their social class. However, they have a rich and open sexual relation that enriches their life. Their openness with sexuality, however, turns dangerous when Lucrecia starts a relationship with her pre-teen stepson, Fonchito, which ultimately leads to the unraveling of the marriage.Main Themes
This is a book of the erotic novel genre that reflects on the meaning of happiness, sexual morality, and the loss of innocence. It incorporates essays and poetry into the narrative.It also has vivid descriptions and analisis of famous art representing erotic scenes, in particular from the Peruvian painter Fernando de Szyszlo
Fernando de Szyszlo
Fernando De Szyszlo Valdelomar is a Peruvian artist who is a key figure in advancing abstract art in Latin America since the mid-1950s, and one of the leading plastic artists in Peru.-Studies and influences:...
and the Flemish master Jacob Jordaens
Jacob Jordaens
Jacob Jordaens was one of three Flemish Baroque painters, along with Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, to bring prestige to the Antwerp school of painting. Unlike those contemporaries he never traveled abroad to study Italian painting, and his career is marked by an indifference to their...
.
Main Characters
Don Rigoberto – Husband of Lucrecia and father of Alfonsito (Fonchito),Doña Lucrecia – Second wife of Rigoberto and stepmother of Alfonsito,
Alfonsito (Fonchito) – Son of Don Rigoberto,
Justiniana – Domestic Employee