Daughter of Fortune Essay | Critical Essay #2

Daughter of Fortune Critical Essay #2

Toronto is an editor at the Pennsylvania State University Press. In this essay, Toronto discusses Eliza's journey to becoming a free woman and its significance.

The title of Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune is Hija de Fortuna in the original Spanish, and while the popular English translation of the title is in no way incorrect, another translation is possible. In Spanish, a common way of expressing possession is to use the preposition de—or in English, "of." The phrase "David's friend" would be expressed amigo de David, which, when translated back into English word-for-word, is "friend of David." Along the same lines, Hija de Fortuna can be translated as "Fortune's Daughter." This alternative translation brings out an interesting interpretation of the title that implies the offspring, product, or results of fortune rather than the meaning that comes to mind at first glance: the female progeny of a wealthy family. Both...
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