El ambito de lo privado: Crisis y transformacion en las protagonistas femeninas en 'Nubosidad variable' (Carmen Martin Gaite), 'Amor, curiosidad, prozac y dudas' (Lucia Etxebarria) y 'Atlas de geografia humana' (Almudena Grandes)

Since the fascist dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975, Spain has gone through dramatic and rapid changes as a country. Among other things, women have become a more important part of the complex web that forms the labor force and political underpinning of the nation. In my study, I examine some of these changes from a sociopolitical perspective by analyzing three important novels by women writers published in the nineties: Nubosidad variable (1992) by Carmen Martin Gaite, Amor, curiosidad, prozac y dudas (1997) by Lucia Etxebarria, and Atlas de geografia humana (1998) by Almudena Grandes.;In spite of belonging to different generations, these writers coincide in presenting Spain at the end of the 20th century as viewed through the eyes and voices of women experiencing personal crises. The authors' view of their protagonists is one of internal struggle and the search for identity in the emerging democracy. How does a woman reconcile the demands for renewed ethical and political values with a yearning for love and passion at the personal level in a new world where her roles are so quickly changing?;In my analysis, I explore the reasons underlying the characters' disenchantment in their personal lives as well as the crises that bring them to a turning point. Moreover, I consider how similar crises may be affecting women in present day Spain and, in general, how these crises are being reflected in the fictional texts by women writers today.