La emancipada

Miguel Riofrío's (1822-1879) novel, La emancipada, tells the story of Rosaura, a young woman who, feeling suffocated by the rigid social conventions of her time, refuses to accept the marriage her father has arranged for her and decides to take control of her life. Published in installments in 1863, it is considered Ecuador's first novel, although it wasn't rediscovered until 1974, when it surpassed Juan León Mera's famous Cumandá in this prestigious category. Its remarkable ability to synthesize universal themes—such as the topics surrounding nation-building and the role of the state, the development of the individual within and in relation to society, and, above all, the concept of love in 19th-century Latin America—makes it one of the most accomplished narratives in 19th-century Latin American fiction.