Fenwick Scholar Program

Date of Creation

Spring 5-14-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Spanish

Department

Classics

First Advisor

Helen Freear-Papio

Second Advisor

Katherine Lu Hsu

Abstract

Heroísma: Reimagining the Woman Leader and Heroine is a multi-disciplinary Fenwick Scholar thesis project by Éowyn Bailey that synthesizes Classics, Spanish, and Latin American Studies. The project features an original ten-scene play followed by an in-depth critical analysis, reimagining the underworld not as a final destination of death, but as a site of resistance where suppressed identities are recovered and reimagined. The play follows Renata, a modern protagonist who undergoes a katabasis (descent) to seek wisdom on leadership. She encounters four mentors: the mythological Ismene and Camilla, and the historical Anacaona and Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua. Guided by the Morella sisters, who function as a modern Greek chorus based on the Three Fates, Renata learns to reject traditional, masculine heroic arcs. Ultimately, the project redefines heroism as heroísma, which is a collective, multifaceted practice rooted in pragmatic survival, creativity, resilience, and logic, empowering women to reclaim their voices and write their own futures.

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