Recreating the Past and Revealing the Postmodern Construction of Anabella of Silay in Rosario Cruz-Lucero’s “Doreen’s Story”: A Historiographic Metafiction

This paper explores Rosario Cruz-Lucero’s novella "Doreen’s Story" as historiographic metafiction, specifically examining the postmodern construction of Anabella of Silay. Historiographic metafiction challenges traditional historical narratives through layered storytelling, intertextual references, and blending of fact and fiction. The character Anabella is analyzed comparatively alongside real-life Hiligaynon writer Magdalena Jalandoni, whose life parallels the fictional protagonist in numerous aspects. Employing comparative character analysis and historiographic metafiction as frameworks, the research scrutinizes these two women's narratives to reveal complex relationships between historical and fictional representations. The findings highlight significant parallelisms between the mythical character Anabella and the historical figure Magdalena Jalandoni, demonstrating how literature intertwines historical fact with fiction. This interconnection emphasizes the fluidity between history and narrative, questioning the nature of truth and authorship in historical representation. Additionally, the reconstruction of past events within the novella supports postcolonial objectives, such as reclaiming cultural spaces, asserting identity, and critically revisiting historical narratives. Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of historiographic metafiction in understanding literature's role in shaping, challenging, and reconstructing historical discourse.