Hiding in Plain Sight: Feminism and Geopolitical Commentary in Fernán Caballero’s La corruptora y la buena maestra (1868)

La corruptora y la buena maestra (1868) by Cecilia Böhl de Faber is a cuadro de costumbres that has received little attention from scholars. Written toward the end of the author’s life, during a period of revolution and imperial crisis, it exhibits maturity of expression and mastery of literary techniques that allow the author to convey subtle feminist and political messages. The novel tells a seemingly straightforward and overtly moralizing story intended for women and in compliance with the domestic ideals of the time. However, like other female writers in the nineteenth century, Fernán laced her narrative with an understated commentary in support of female intellectual capacities and emancipation. The goal of this chapter is to examine the hidden feminist and geopolitical ideas in La corruptora.