This dissertation is a survey of postmodern historical fiction in 20th and 21st century Spanish American literature. It has diverse manifestations, but the defining characteristic of this kind of historical fiction is a rejection of any rigid distinction between historical and fictional discourse. This is a descriptive rather than a normative study: it examines how eight different authors use the techniques of postmodern historical fiction to develop implicit critiques of the “great man” theory of history. The Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle popularized this theory in the 1800s, and it asserts that biography is the proper model for history, namely, the biography of prominent individuals – “great men.” It treats these people as the source of history. Opposing this historiographic ideology, many authors of postmodern historical fiction see such figures as subjects that can be “written” and “re-written”; they are not the source of history, but the product of historical discourse. I conduct close readings of nine primary texts to elucidate how they challenge the “great man” historiography of four significant figures from Spanish American history: Montezuma, Simón Bolívar, Christopher Columbus, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. I conclude that the historiographic critiques in these texts converge around three common strategies in their critiques: an extension of character from the domain of fiction to the domain of history, the subversion of the literary genres of biography and autobiography, and a commitment to rewriting the traditional narratives of specific historical events. / Spanish

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 254-270).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 257-267). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

In this dissertation love and death in the novels of Alejo Carpentier are analyzed. The following novels are studied: (INV!)Ecue-Yamba-O!, El reino de este mundo, Los pasos perdidos, El siglo de las luces, El acoso, El recurso del metodo and Concierto barroco. / This author presents love in diverse aspects, from the most tender, charming and spiritual expression of feeling to the savage effect of lustful passion. Passion and instinctive love are predominant in his novels. / The characters of Carpentier's novels try to escape the torment of their lives by devoting themselves to materialistic and passionate love; unfortunately neither the heroes nor the heroines ever find the happiness they desire. / A very important element presented by Carpentier is death. It is seen in many different ways, such as: sudden death, suicides, executions, poisonings, old age and finally, wars. / There are several links between the themes of love and death. Carpentier uses techniques such as manipulation of time, mysticism of history and magic realism. Music is used specifically in the themes of love and death. In the scenes of death and agony, passionate love is always present, playing an important role. / Finally, the themes of love and death in Carpentier's novels reveal the agonistic state of man as the mythological figure of Sisyphus who is unable to find happiness at all. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4467. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 32-04, Section: A, page: 2087. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1971.

The novel of Armando Ramirez (b. 1951), a young writer recognized as "cronista de Tepito," are richly rewarding in the lyricism of their street language and the vulnerability of their tough characters, but they are obscure to readers unacquainted with the social and linguistic flavor of Tepito, the notorious inner city neighborhood of Mexico City best known to outsiders as the locale of Oscar Lewis's Children of Sanchez. This study aims to make the language of Ramirez's narrative more accessible and to place his work in the context of his society and culture. / Of Ramirez's seven published works of fiction, the five set in Tepito are discussed here: Chin Chin el Teporocho (1972), Cronica de los chorrocientos mil dias del barrio de Tepito (1973), Regreso de Chin Chin el Teporocho en: La venganza de los jinetes justicieros (1978), Tepito (1983), and Quinceanera (1985). Included is a preview of the author's next novel. / The discussion of context includes Tepito's tradition of political and economic marginalization, its emergence as a symbol of "mexicanidad," and the role of Arte Aca, an internationally recognized Tepito popular art movement of the Seventies. Connections are drawn with other Mexican works, including those of Jose Ruben Romero, Elena Poniatowska, Carlos Monsivais, and Arles (Rafael Ramirez). Discussed also is the ambience of the "vecindad," the predominant residential architecture of Tepito. A glossary is included on non-standard Spanish terms used by Ramirez in his narrative. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: A, page: 4139. / Major Professor: Ernest C. Rehder. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

This study examines the portrayal of female characters in the following three novels of the Chilean writer, Isabel Allende: La casa de los espiritus (1982), De amor y de sombra (1984), and Eva Luna (1987). The novels were written against the backdrop of military domination of Chilean politics and society. / The analysis of Allende's works is guided by the neo-feminist theories of Ellen Morgan. Allende portrays women in a state of evolution and transformation. Allende's female characters transcend the generic stereotypes common in the traditional depiction of women in literature. All of the heroines in Allende's novels fight for the rights of women and for the rights of the oppressed classes. They appear to be in control of their lives and are capable of confronting military violence and of struggling against the political system imposed by the military. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-11, Section: A, page: 3763. / Major Professor: Roberto Fernandez. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 39-06, Section: A, page: 3614. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 33-03, Section: A, page: 1165. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1972.

This thesis is an analysis of Octavio Paz's essay, El laberinto de la soledad, and its relationship to the thematic content of Rudolfo Anaya's novels, Bless Me, Ultima and Heart of Aztlan. It discusses the concept of Mexican solitude and the search for identity. In the introduction a biographical summary of Paz's life and literary accomplishments illustrates the importance of historical events in the formation of his understanding of human solitude and alienation in the modern world. As a surrealist he concludes that Mexican solitude is an expression of an inner conflict of opposing forces which can only be overcome through poetic inspiration and the discovery of one's other self. The first chapter discusses the thematic content of Paz's El laberinto de la soledad in terms of the Mexican's character and behavioral patterns including dissimulation, denigration, and self-denial. In his solitude the Mexican experiences a sense of alienation, inferiority, and a loss of individual identity. In the second chapter an analysis of the main characters in Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima and Heart of Aztlan reveals that solitude and the search for identity involve the spiritual reconciliation of forces which adversely affect the Chicano's relationship with the land and the people of Aztlan. It involves the formation of an individual as well as a collective identity through self-awareness, love, spiritual harmony and a common sense of purpose. The third chapter discusses the thematic similarities and differences between the three literary works. The similarities include the idea of separation and the need to search for a positive, meaningful identity. The chicano novel offers a practical solution to the identity problem through the resolution of conflict and the establishment of a collective identity based upon shared experience and common purpose. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-05, Section: A, page: 1783. / Major Professor: Louis C. Bourgeois. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.