“The Husband Stitch” is the title story from Carmen Maria Machado’s debut collection Her Body and Other Parties published in 2017. An American author of Cuban descent, Machado’s fiction is frequently called “strange and seductive” with elements of horror and mystery, a definition perfectly encompassing her most famous short story. This thesis provides a critical analysis of “The Husband Stitch” with emphasis on feminism and intertextuality as two of its most important characteristics. “The Husband Stitch” is a powerful story showing the mundane horrors of female existence made stronger by the instalment of scary stories which always include women. The legends and folklore highlight the dangers of society and the misogyny that persists in the central institutions of marriage and motherhood. For this reason, two types of intertextual elements are analysed in the thesis: cautionary tales and urban myths the narrator retells, and stage directions intended for the readers. Moreover, the analysis deals with the story’s theme of feminine guilt, female subservience and the lack of female voice. The ‘husband stitch’ is an old practice whereby an obstetrician puts an ‘extra’ stitch in a woman’s perineum after she gives birth and makes her tighter in order to please her partner. Therefore, it is obvious through the very title that the story features sexist connotations and, what is more, glorifies the male and his needs while condemning the woman for wanting to explore and own her sexuality. The final part serves as an overview of the critical analysis, along with the literary translation of the short story in question