This dissertation examines the life and works of Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar Pietri. / Although regarded by many to be among the best contemporary writers in Latin America, and certainly among the most prolific, Arturo Uslar Pietri has not enjoyed the recognition in the United States that he has enjoyed in Latin America. For this reason, it is the intention of this study to provide an introduction to the life and works of such a distinguished writer. / The research is divided in three chapters. The introductory chapter presents a biographical sketch of Arturo Uslar Pietri accompanied by a brief description of a number of his better known writings. / The succeeding chapter consists of an annotated bibliography of the works written by Uslar Pietri. The bibliographical entries are divided into nine categories. These are: novels, short stories, theater, poetry, essays, biographies, articles, introductions, and anthologies. The list includes only the compositions that were uncovered during the investigation. / The concluding chapter is also an annotated bibliography. However, the entries that appear in this chapter include works of criticism on Arturo Uslar Pietri's writings. It consists primarily of books and articles. / Arturo Uslar Pietri is mostly known for his short stories and historical novels that depict the life in Venezuela from the time of the conquest to the present time. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, Section: A, page: 2174. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

This dissertation examines the origin of myth in Garcia Marquez's novel, Cien anos de soledad. While the major critics of the novel have noted a strong dependence thereof on Biblical intertextualities, the present study focuses on possible Indigenous sources of what has already been defined as cosmogonical. In addition, several motifs which have been defined previously as "mythified" are examined and compared to Indigenous Colombian rituals. The work of explorer Alexander von Humboldt is also addressed herein as applicable to the wider comprehension of the novel. While this work is not necessarily an Indigenous source, the vast references to such cultures justify its inclusion in this study. Likewise, the Popol Vuh is examined as a potential source of myth within the novel. The main Colombian sources indicated in this study are as follows: Chibcha (Muisca); Tairona (Kogi); and Guajiro (Wayu). Although the Guajiros are the only indigenous group specifically mentioned in the novel, the role of the Tairona and Chibcha were so potent in the framework of the chronicles that their inclusion in this work is inevitable. The cosmogonies which particularly parallel the action of the novel are the Chibcha and Guajiro. Religious rituals of the Chibcha and Guajiro are also examined here are possible antecedents of certain of the actions, the origins of which have as yet been unidentified. Meanwhile, the philosophical origins of the novel's "death within death" motif are juxtaposed to documentation of certain Kogi beliefs, which bear striking similarities. On account of the large number of nearly exact parallels between the novel and various Indigenous elements, the mythical content of the novel is viewed as intertextualized Indigenous, rather than Biblical, myth. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1377. / Major Professor: Roberto G. Fernandez. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

<p>El agotamiento de la Izquierda: subalternidad y soberanía is a comparative project that examines the concept of political sovereignty in a variety of cultural texts in Latin America, including novels, essays and film. The dissertation defines sovereignty as an antagonistic space where the institution of nation-states and the development of capitalist modernization coincide. The dissertation examines basically four cases of social conflict in recent Latin American history where the concept of sovereignty is called into question: the Mexican Revolution (1910-20), the Cuban Revolution (1953-59), national populism in Argentina (1946-55) and the Popular Unity government in Chile (1970-73). The thesis argues for a new understanding of the relation between sovereignty and subalternity and also the relationship between literature and speculative late capitalism as an effect of the exhaustion of the interstate notion of sovereignty.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Colombia has historically been known as a fragmented country because of its poor territorial integration. This dissertation intends to transcend the traditional way in which this (dis)integration process has been studied, principally linked to geographical determinism. Based on the theories developed by Henry Lefebvre, David Harvey and Milton Santos regarding the production of space, geographical determinism is confronted in two ways: on one hand Colombian spatial problematic is inserted within a global context, which highlights that the production of space is dependent in peripheral areas, and on the other hand, the role of the symbolic field in the production of space is studied through the conformation of a genealogy of Colombian geographical imaginaries.</p><p>This is a restricted genealogy in the sense that it focuses only on three historical periods: the nation-state building process in the nineteenth century, the period known as La Violencia (1948-1965), and the "triple war" that has been active since the seventies. The sources studied for each respective period are: travel literature and travel illustrations, testimonial novels, and testimonies. Chapter one focuses on the production of the national space, and through an inter-artistic approach of the textual and visual components of the Comisión Corográfica (1850-1859), it highlights this project's influence on the construction of the country as a regionalized country. Chapters two and three focus on how different types of violence have emerged as agents of deep spatial transformations, and highlight that the cultural field not only constructs discursively the "spaces of terror" produced by violence, but by doing so, it contributes to the inclusion of those spaces in the nation's geographical imaginaries. Finally, the conclusion comprises the spatial transformations brought about by the Constitution of 1991, which inevitably refer to the first chapter's view on how national space was constructed in the nineteenth century. This genealogy highlights both the role of the cultural field in the production of space, and in the diffusion of "alternative spaces" (Lefebvre), as it contributes to insert them within the geographical imaginaries. </p><p>Resumen</p><p>Colombia se ha caracterizado históricamente por ser un país fragmentado a raíz de su reducida cohesión territorial. Esta tesis se propone trascender la forma tradicional en la que se ha abordado el proceso de (des)integración nacional, caracterizada por estar fuertemente anclada en el determinismo geográfico. Partiendo de las teorías de Henry Lefebvre, David Harvey y Milton Santos acerca de la producción del espacio, se confronta el determinismo geográfico por dos vías: por un lado se inserta la problemática espacial colombiana dentro de un marco global, con lo cual se resalta el carácter dependiente de la producción del espacio en la periferia, y por el otro, se estudia el papel de lo simbólico en la producción del espacio, mediante la construcción de una genealogía de imaginarios geográficos colombianos. </p><p>Esta es una genealogía restringida en la medida en que sólo se enfoca en tres periodos: la construcción del Estado-nación en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, el periodo de La Violencia (1948-1965), y la "triple guerra" que viene sucediendo desde finales de los setentas. El tipo de fuentes que se estudian en cada periodo son libros e imágenes de viaje, novelas testimoniales y testimonios respectivamente. En el primer capítulo se estudia la forma en que se construyó el espacio nacional, y mediante el estudio inter-artístico tanto del producto textual como visual de la Comisión Corográfica (1850-1859), se resalta la importancia de este proyecto en la construcción del país como un país de regiones. Luego, en el segundo y el tercer capítulo se aborda la forma en que diferentes tipos de violencia se convierten en agentes de profundas transformaciones espaciales, y se resalta que el campo cultural no sólo construye discursivamente los "espacios del terror" generados a raíz de la violencia, sino que al hacerlo contribuye a insertarlos dentro del imaginario geográfico de la nación. Finalmente en la conclusión se abordan las transformaciones espaciales suscitadas por la Constitución de 1991, lo cual inevitablemente conlleva a retomar las reflexiones planteadas en el primer capítulo con respecto a la forma en se construyó el espacio nacional en el siglo XIX. A través de esta se resalta el papel activo que ha cumplido el campo cultural tanto en la producción del espacio, como en la difusión de "espacios alternativos" (Lefebvre), al contribuir a insertarlos dentro del imaginario geográfico nacional.</p> / Dissertation

Irony serves a fundamental function in the discursive structure of the novels of the Peruvian writer Julio Ramon Ribeyro (1929-1994). We find its use through different literary devices at work in his novels. Here we analyze the three Ribeyrian novels within an analytical framework that focuses on rhetoric. That is to say, we use an approach that brings together the works by Peter Roster on the various kinds of irony (verbal irony, dramatic irony, character irony, fate irony, and metaphisical irony), and the works of Lauro Zavala, which analyze the different levels of ennunciation (narrative voice, language, and reader). In his first novel, Cronica de San Gabriel (1960), we analyze dramatic irony. This kind of irony is evident in the narrative voice, which in this case is that of the character of Lucho, an adolescent man who finds himself alone in the world. The reason behind his eventual fall lies in his being witness to the disappearance of the latifundia and a series of tragic events that befall other characters. In his second novel, Los geniecillos dominicales (1965), we study primarily fate irony. This kind of irony occurs when the outcome of an event signals a rupture from that which is hoped or expected. In this particular case, Ludo Totem, the anti-heroic protagonist, endures a number of tragic events which contradict his previous hopes. And it is this Ludo who personifies the deterioration and fall of a fragmented society. In his last novel, Cambio de guardia (1975), we examine metaphysical irony, which concerns itself with the irrevocable contradictions of human existence. This form of irony appears when an action ends in death, and is the result of forces that are beyond human control. In this novel we find different stories that are woven together through fateful encounters, each of which ends in chaos. Ambiguity and the game between appearances and reality are also characteristic of these novels, novels in which the reader plays an active role as he or she decodifies the true message intended by the author.

The purpose of this dissertation is to characterize and explain the different forms and views of Mexican Fantastic narrative, which is portrayed specially during the Romantic and Naturalistic periods. Our task goes further than just mentioning and describing the specific corpus of Fantastic texts. Its orientation towards the critical apprehension of this narrative form is a part of the general literary process. Our procedure consists of determining the ideological function the Fantastic text plays during the periods mentioned. Also, we pay close attention to the deconstruction of the verbal procedures that frequently appear throughout the ideological function. In respect to the methodological and theoretical aspect, we apply a conception of the Fantastic, supported in a Pragmatical theory. Its purpose is to overcome the Formalistic essentialism in which an important part of the critique fails.

The academic interest of this study is to determine the functions and uses of space in the detective novels of the Chilean author Ramon Diaz Eterovic. Diaz Eterovic's novels belong to the category of contemporary detective fiction in Latin America called novela negra or neopolicial, a literary form that borrows conventions from its predecessors but that modifies them according to the needs of the social context in which they are written. Little study has been done on the use of space in this type of narrative in spite of the fact that contrary to common practice among writers of classical detective fiction, authors of contemporary detective novels in Latin America privilege the development of space over other components of the text. In the detective novels of Diaz Eterovic space functions as an index of abstract categories of meaning. I apply principally structuralist theories and theories on space and the role of memory, as well as some urban theory, to look at the mechanisms used by the narrator to convey an ideological message through the representation of his physical and social surroundings. Space functions critically, pointing to the period of the Pinochet military dictatorship (1973-1989) as the cause of social, economic, and environmental problems that plague the country both during the military regime and well into the post-dictatorial years. I also look at how the representation of space evolves as the series progresses and the content of the novels moves away from the referent of the dictatorship which informs them. Diaz Eterovic modifies the function of the detective novel to encompass not only a critical agenda but also as a means of preserving the collective memory of the recent past which is quickly being forgotten.

This dissertation presents an analysis in both literary and cultural terms. Although, Cuentos del Desierto by Emma Dolujanoff presents the interaction between indigenous and non-indigenous aspects, the purpose of this dissertation is not more the cultural contact of both cultures as the literary fashion in which Dolujanoff manipulates those indigenous aspects. This process of writing literature is called heterogeneous literature, because the sociocultural rules of writing Cuentos del Desierto are different to those rules which govern that culture about it is written. To cope this situation, it was necessary to bring about some concepts from cultural anthropology and literary criticism. On the one hand, the concepts of Social Drama and Stage Drama were used to explain the dramatic status of the interaction of both indigenous and non-indigenous aspects. On the other hand, the concept of Ethnofiction presents a possibility to analyze Cuentos del Desierto in literary terms. Nevertheless, both cultural and literary concepts have cultural and literary consequences, respectively. Both Social Drama and Stage Drama offer literary aspects in the plot and characters level. The concept of ethnofiction, in turn, places the sociocultural context of the voices of cultures in contact.

Esta disertacion pretende poner en evidencia la base filosofica existencialista de la narrativa de Juan Carlos Onetti. Su objeto de estudio especifico es el personaje onettiano en cuanto existente ante si y ante el mundo. Una serie de conceptos extraidos de las obras capitales de Heidegger, Jaspers y Sartre son enpleadas para dar fundamento a la interpretacion de las inquietudes y conflictos que problematizan la existencia de los personajes centrales de El pozo, La vida breve, Juntacadaveres y El astillero. El Ser-en-el-mundo, la existencia autentica el Ser-con-otros, el tedio profundo, el estado de caida, la conciencia y sus fases, la mala fe y el proyecto original o proyecto de ser son algunos de los elementos de la doctrina existencialista que son definidos e ilustrados a traves del analisis interpretativo de los protagonistas de las mencionadas novelas. El estudio que se hace en esta disertacion ofrece una forma de acercamiento al personaje onettiano orientada hacia su interioridad y en busca de su verdad subjetiva. Esta inquisicion dejara al descubierto a un grupo de individuos que, con la mirada fija en su existencia, bregan dia a dia con un mundo ordinario por no ceder en su aspiracion a una forma de existencia fiel ante todo a la voz de su conciencia.

The discourse of the last military regime in Argentina (1976-1983) emphasized the importance of protecting the family unit. The official rhetoric of the dictatorship assigned a formative, character building function to the institution of the family and idealized the concept of the traditional, nuclear family. According to the military leaders, the peace and security of the nation depended on the stability of the family. In spite of this rhetoric of family values, the tactics employed by the Military Junta transformed the family into an object of repression. The kidnappings and disappearances fragmented many families; parents and children suffered due to the state sponsored violence. As a consequence, there emerged a clear distinction between the official discourse of the dictatorship and the reality of the Argentine citizenship. The objective of our study is to examine how this contradiction between the discourse and the reality manifested itself in the literature of the moment. The literature appropriated the symbol of the family and subverted the official image in order to deconstruct and denounce the entire authoritarian system. In the first chapter we will present the historical background of the military regimes in Argentina. Special attention will be paid to the Junta Militar of 1976-1983 and its sociopolitical consequences. In the following chapters we will analyze the texts of three Argentine authors: La penultima version de la Colorada Villanueva (1978) by Marta Lynch, Ganarse la muerte (1976) by Griselda Gambaro and Cambio de armas (1982) by Luisa Valenzuela. As we explore the different representations of the family and the home in these works, we will be able to show the connection between the fragmentation of the family unit and the disintegration of the society at large. We will also demonstrate how the distorted personal relations reflect the social conditions under authoritarianism. We will consider the formation of the narrative voice as well, being that it represents the critical aspect of the texts on a structural level.