Although the term modernismo means many things to many people, it is generally agreed upon that as a literary period it gave a legitimacy to Spanish-American letters and that it was the coming of age of that continent's literature. In addition to modernista works themselves, this period has also generated an unprecedented body of criticism, both of which have been studied with a unique intensity in Latin American letters. However, in spite of this vast body of criticism, certain aspects of the modernista sensibility have never been addressed by critics. This study begins by questioning the absence of women writers of this generation (in spite of the fact that women were living and writing before, during, and after modernismo). The most celebrated female protagonist of the modernista novel, the femme fatale, contrary to her reputation as destroyer of men, frequently suffers a premature and often violent death at the hands of the male artist/protagonist/poet. While examining the turn-of-the-century ideal of womanhood, using both literary and extra-literary sources, this study postulates that because modernistas considered themselves to be a literary men's club, a fraternity, in their own words, the female writer may have purposely eschewed becoming a part of an aesthetic which destroyed women. Through the analysis of three representative modernista novels, El triunfo del ideal (Pedro César Domínici, Venezuela, 1901), Juana Lucero (Augusto d'Halmar, Chile, 1902), and La gloria de don Ramiro (Enrique Larreta, Argentina, 1908), parallels can be drawn between the modernista aesthetic and the pornographic one. While modernismo has been called the "effeminate" literature of a group of dandies, it is, in fact, profoundly misogynist. The rape, torture, murder and burning at the stake and otherwise objectification of the female protagonists tends to confirm this reading. The Latin American dichotomy of civilización/barbarie can also be expressed in the pornographic one of culture versus nature. Rather than a tragedy, the deaths of beautiful young women are perceived as a requisite for the artist's source of inspiration. If the death of a beautiful woman produces poetry, the turn-of-the-century female writer's reluctance to join this club becomes more understandable.

Thesis (D.A.)--Illinois State University, 2000. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 31, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Louis G. Perez (chair), Lawrence W. McBride, Sharon S. MacDonald. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 340-370) and abstract. Also available in print.

This thesis analyzes the complexities of Argentinean politics during Juan Domingo Perâon's last presidency, (1973-1974), as presented in Osvaldo Soriano's novel No habrâa mâas penas ni olvido. Soriano's work, set in the fictitious town of Colonia Vela, in the state of Buenos Aires, illustrates in a small scale the different social and political components that make up the national body. Historical and fictitious elements dramatize the conflict among the left and right wings of the Peronist Party. These two factions divide the villagers, who hold diverse images of Perâon and what the party entails, while putting their political beliefs and physical well-being at stake. Quickly the two splinter parties trigger an open arm conflict while fighting under the same slogan: "Perâon o muerte". Supported by diverse theoretical perspectives, this thesis reveals that Soriano's novel sheds light into one of the most confusing periods of Argentinean history while rescuing the sacrifices of the people. / by Delia Pamela Fuentes. / Abstract in English. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Despite the great popularity and increased prestige of classic detective fiction, as well as the American hard-boiled novel, since their introduction in the nineteenth century many readers and authors have perceived them as genres incompatible with Latin American realities. The inherent conventions of the whodunit, the presence of a detective whose legitimacy is never in doubt, and its conservative ideology, which presupposed the punishment of criminality and the reestablishment of the status quo, were incongruous in societies in which people had no faith in justice. The genre, then, was regarded as unrealistic for third world countries. In this way, in order to be plausible, the detective novel in Latin America needed a different approach. In broad terms, these pages propose the emergence of a new genre that can be observed in the works of contemporary authors such as Vicente Leñero's Los albañiles (1963), Ricardo Piglia's Nombre falso (1975), Jorge Ibargüengoitia's Las muertas (1977) and, most notably, in Roberto Bolaño's Los detectives salvajes (1998), which I consider the most prominent and complex example of this type. The present study examines how this innovative Spanish American detective fiction incorporates and restates some of the structures and conventions of the hard-boiled novel and shares some features of contemporary Spanish American fiction, while developing its own characteristics in contrast with both detective fiction schools. Due to the necessity of the native writers to adopt, formally and thematically, alternative approaches when creating credible detective stories, I have named this emergent genre: Spanish American alternative detective fiction. / text

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-122).

Despite the award of the Nobel Prize to Miguel Angel Asturias in 1967, he appears to have gone into decline with the rise of the nueva novela latinoamericana. Emir Rodrguez Monegal's influential but negative view in "Los dos Asturias" ignores several important points already raised by G.Yepes-Boscan's "Asturias, un pretexto del mito". Asturias' two major innovations are a functional incorporation of Latin American myth allied to audacious experimentation with language, and these are the acknowledged central features of the "new" novel. El Senor Presidente and Hombres de maz together prefigure all the varied manifestations of the nueva novela, an example of which is Asturias' own Mulata de tal.

My thesis begins with the rapid tracking down of a word that demands the acknowledgment of a territory in its own right: Aztlan. I trace this term from prehispanic times up to the present in order to formulate the mythical, historical, cultural, and literary characteristics of a conglomerate that is currently identifiable and recognizable as the Chicano people of Aztlan. The main hypothesis of this work, which is to establish a coherent starting point for the study of the Aztlanese novel written in Spanish, is set within a historical-literary context. As a consequence, this thesis cannot encompass all the Aztlanese narratives written in Spanish; instead, it focuses specifically on two works--from the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively--that I consider the first and foremost historical-literary links. El hijo de la tempestad (1892), by Eusebio Chacon, and Peregrinos de Aztlan (1974), by Miguel Mendez, are the first texts that exhibit a clear literary awareness. I have what such concepts imply within an artistic framework. I am fully convinced that these two narrative texts are the first and foremost links in the Aztlanese novel as it currently exists, particularly in those novels written in Spanish. In some fashion, these two trail blazing novels constitute concrete examples that can help to establish and systematize, on the basis of specifically literary formulations, the literary tradition of the complex and heterogenous literary phenomenon which is Aztlan. My approach is restricted to a method that recognizes a literary work as a semi-autonomous structure--that is, one which exhibits structural relations with other facts and phenomena outside itself. The second chapter traces the meaning and location of the concept Aztlan, and it notes that the said concept is a myth and a spiritual rallying point among Chicanos. The chapter also comments on the principal aspects of the history of people of Mexican origin in the United States, as well as the so-called "Chicano Movement". The third chapter discusses the principal literary tendencies with regard to esthetic phenomena. It delimits the concept of the novel, the parameters of Aztlanese expression--particularly of works written in Spanish--and, of course, my approach. Each of the two following chapters is devoted to one of the two novels at issue. Each chapter studies the concept and function of literature held by its novel’s author, as well as the structural process exemplified by each of the texts. Significantly, both novels display characteristics that allow them to be classified with modern and contemporary Latinamerican novels, respectively: El hijo de la tempestad clearly fits in with Naturalism, Peregrinos de Aztlan in with Superrealism.

Cette thèse a pour objet un moment singulier des relations entre la monarchie hispanique et le royaume de France.La mort du roi Charles II à Madrid en 1700 et l’avènement du duc d’Anjou, petit-fils de Louis XIV, au trône d’Espagneprovoquèrent en effet une profonde réorganisation des rapports franco-espagnols. Après avoir été rivales, ces deuxmonarchies devenaient des puissances alliées dont les souverains appartenaient à la même maison. La réorganisation de leursrelations et la perspective de voir se reconstituer un empire – comme l’avait été celui de Charles Quint – mais cette fois-ci aubénéfice de Louis XIV inquiéta de nombreux États européens et fut l’élément déclencheur de la guerre de Successiond’Espagne. Celle-ci n’est pas envisagée ici dans l’une de ses dimensions de conflit mondial ou civil mais sous l’angle desprincipes structurants d’une politique qui a alors été mise en place par les cours de Versailles et de Madrid.« L’union des couronnes » servit à désigner ces rapports nouveaux qui inquiétaient tant mais qui donnèrent aussilieu à de nombreux projets pour rapprocher deux puissances, leurs États, leurs cours et dans une moindre mesure leurssociétés. Pour conduire cette politique, Louis XIV envoya à la cour de son petit-fils un ambassadeur resté largement méconnuet dont l’action est analysée dans cette thèse. Amelot de Gournay incarna cette union des couronnes. Cet ambassadeur eut ladélicate – voire contradictoire – mission de servir deux souverains, le roi de France et le Roi Catholique. Les différentesconceptions de l’union des couronnes sont ainsi étudiées à travers l’activité déployée par l’un de ses principaux acteurs. Si lapolitique d’union des couronnes et l’action de l’un de ses promoteurs – l’ambassadeur Amelot – sont ainsi resituées dans lecontexte d’un changement dynastique, elles permettent également de voir comment des préoccupations commercialesapparaissent de plus en plus clairement aux cours des négociations. Celles-ci jouèrent un grand rôle dans le déclenchement dela guerre, l’Angleterre et les Provinces-Unies redoutants de voir les Français s’emparer du commerce américain, maiségalement dans les efforts conduits pour rapprocher la France et l’Espagne. Le commerce devait servir de colonne vertébraleà l’union.Dans une première partie, ce travail s’attache à retracer les tensions et les conflits engendrés par les initiatives deLouis XIV sur fond de rivalités commerciales croissantes. Les principales guerres menées par le roi de France contre les roisd’Espagne au XVIIe siècle et l’enjeu des questions commerciales dans les relations hispano-françaises ont laissé une empreintedurable qui a affecté en retour la politique d’union des couronnes. Dans une seconde partie, l’ambassadeur, ses réseaux et sonaction sont étudiés pour mettre en évidence les usages et les pratiques de la négociation. Enfin, ce sont les réalités concrèteset l’image de l’union des couronnes qui est analysée dans une dernière partie. / This thesis shows how in 1700 the death in Madrid of Charles II, King of Spain, followed by the ascension of the duke ofAnjou, grandson of Louis XIV, to the Spanish throne, led to a complete and complex reorganisation of the relationshipbetween the French and Spanish monarchies. After decades of rivalry, these two kingdoms with sovereigns coming from thesame lineage turned into allies. For many Europeans states, these changes in the European balance of power and thepossibility of the rebirth of an empire – similar to the one created by Charles V – for the benefit of Louis XIV was perceivedas a threat.The expression «The Two Crowns» or « the union of the Crowns of France and of Spain » was coined to describe this newrelationship bringing together two powerful kingdoms, their States, their courts and to a lesser extent their societies.The political lead of these changes was the mandate given to the French ambassador nominated by Louis XIV within hisgrandson court. Up to now, very little was known about the role played by this man Amelot de Gournay who portrayed thisambitious politics. This thesis analyses how he managed to serve simultaneously both masters, the King of France and theKing of Spain, while his delicate mission was not exempt of contradictions.The different aspects of the Two Crowns’ governance are studied through the activities developed by the ambassadorAmelot, who was one of the main players, conceiving and carrying out this politics in a time of a change of dynasty.Economics and trade activities became of crucial importance during the negotiations, playing a major role in the outburst ofthe War of the Spanish Succession, as the England and the Dutch Republic feared the possibility that France took over thecommercial relationship with North America. These activities were also part of the efforts of France to befriend Spain. Tradewould have been the backbone of the union between the two nations.In the first part, this work develops the tensions and conflicts generated by Louis XIV’s initiatives with abackground of increasing trade rivalries. During the 17th century, most of the wars led by the King of France against the Kingof Spain and the trade issue between the two kingdoms had left durable marks in both societies, which in return impacted theTwo Crowns’ implementation. In the second part, Amelot de Gournay’s leadership, networks and actions are studied in orderto highlight the practices that ruled negotiations at that time. Finally, the facts and the perception of the Two Crowns areanalysed.

Orientador: Maria de Fátima Alves de Oliveira Marcari / Banca: Antonio Roberto Esteves / Banca: Maria Dolores Aybar Ramirez / Resumo: Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o romance Apariciones (1996), da escritora mexicana Margo Glantz, com a finalidade de compreender, em primeiro lugar, os procedimentos de escrita empregados pela romancista, com destaque para a metaficção e a intertextualidade. Para tanto, contaremos com o apoio teórico da poética sobre o prazer do texto elaborada por Roland Barthes (1973), assim como dos estudos de Tiphaine Samoyault (2008) sobre a intertextualidade, dentre outros autores, procurando demonstrar como Margo Glantz elabora uma (re) escritura a partir do diálogo e da integração de textos, alusões à pinturas e músicas. Outrossim, analisaremos o tema do erotismo presente no romance, investigando como o erotismo sagrado se aproxima do profano, por meio da análise da recriação paródica dos exercícios espirituais de duas monjas e, por outro lado, como o erotismo profano que caracteriza os encontros amorosos de um casal se aproxima do erotismo sagrado. Para tanto, nossa análise será fundamentada de acordo com as teorizações de Georges Bataille (1957) e Octavio Paz (1994) sobre o erotismo, e de Linda Hutcheon (1988) sobre o pós-modernismo e a paródia / Abstract: This work has as objective to analyze the novel Apariciones (1996), of the mexican writer Margo Glantz, with the purpose of understand, at first, the writing procedures used by the writer, highlighting the metafiction and the intertextuality. Therefore, we will have the teoric support of the poetics of pleasure from the text prepared by Roland Barthes (1973), as well as from the studies by Tiphaine Samoyault (2001) about the intertextuality, among other authors, trying to demonstrate how Margo Glantz elaborates a (re)writing from the dialogue and the integration of texts, allusions to paintings and musics. Likewise, we will analyze the theme of erotism presente in the novel, investigating how the sacred erotismo approaches the profane, through the analysis of the parody recreation of the spiritual exercises of two nuns and, on the other hand, how the profane erotismo that caracterizes the love meetings of a couple approaches the sacred erotismo. Therefore, our analysis will be substantiated according to the theorizations of Georges Bataille (1957) and Octavio Paz (1994) about the erotism, and of Linda Hutcheon (1988) about the postmodernism and the parody / Mestre

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.