The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the collection of poems Versos libres written by José Martí, as a cycle of literary expression closely connected with the origins and development of the modernist movement, as well as to the emergence of what has been later termed the modernism of Hispanic-American literature. The poetics of Versos libres is based on the liberating function attributed to them by their author, who was determined to reach with this cycle a level of expression where literary modernism and radical Americanism would be fully integrated, in order to enrich the communicative capabilities of poetic language, making it penetrate deep and complex realities: Man's conscience, psyche and creative effort, nature and history. This study of the Versos libres as a cycle, allows us to characterize the contribution of such a work to Hispanic-American poetry as a result of a literary praxis whose tone makes Versos libres a piece of work that, in its best-realized moments, surpasses the limits of the turn-of-the-century Hispanic-American poetry; thus laying a bridge towards modem poetry in the Spanish language.

La orientación principal de este estudio se centra en la obra narrativa y poética del escritor José Lezama Lima (1910-1976) con el propósito de analizar cómo la sinergia de símbolos actúa en el universo imaginario lezamiano, y así poder explicar cómo sirve de base en la creación de imágenes, para obtener una mejor comprensión de la compleja cultura del Caribe. El enfoque medular recaerá sobre su obra narrativa pero sin excluir otros fragmentos importantísimos de poemas, ensayos y epístolas, que conforman su sistema poético. Nuestro argumento es que la obra de Lezama no es simplemente una aventura estética del lenguaje sino un compendio simbólico de escritos de carácter moral que busca asiduamente influenciar de manera positiva a los lectores de su comunidad. Al mismo tiempo, está investigación expone una característica de Lezama que no ha sido tratada por la crítica: su compromiso social, que dentro de un universo imaginario integrado por múltiples voces poéticas, símbolos y alusiones, permite una variedad de lecturas de los abismos más sombríos del ser humano y su circunstancia. Inicialmente estudiaremos la complejidad simbólica en la narrativa corta de Lezama con el propósito de exponer primero, la importancia del cuento dentro de la poética lezamiana y posteriormente, de demostrar que los cuentos de Lezama no son meros ejercicios verbales y estéticos como se ha indicado tantas veces, incluso insinuado por el mismo autor, sino que tienen una marcada preocupación social y humanista dentro de una época de gran tensión política en Cuba. Lezama expuso a través de sus historias la necesidad imperante de una participación constante del escritor como intelectual en la vida pública de su nación y de Hispanoamérica. En segundo lugar, analizaremos una selección de poemas en prosa de Lezama, Darío y Casal, pues nos interesa comprender cómo estos escritores establecen conexiones utilizando como medio el poema en prosa en Hispanoamérica. El valor de estos vínculos es que mantiene viva una tradición literaria que a su vez enlaza con siguientes generaciones de diversos matices culturales. Lo que aquí nos interesa es explicar la disposición híbrida del discurso narrativo de Lezama en Paradiso y las interesantes conexiones con el poema en prosa, para obtener así un mejor entendimiento de cómo funciona su universo narrativo. Posteriormente abordaremos el tema del compromiso social y la violencia en Lezama, asunto poco estudiado por la crítica que considera a este escritor cubano como un escapista de la realidad social de Cuba, declaración que intentamos refutar. Argumentaremos que la vocación de Lezama es en esencia la de un escritor e intelectual preocupado con los problemas de su comunidad y de su país lo cual se expone palmariamente a lo largo de toda su obra narrativa y poética. En las reflexiones finales del estudio nos interesa señalar que la literatura lezamiana no es simplemente una compilación de citas enciclopédicas sino un proceso de hibridación: conocimiento adquirido, asimilado y distribuido con significado social dentro de su contexto comunitario. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / June 19, 2008. / Cuba, Simbolismo, Hibridación, Poema en prosa, Violencia, José Lezama Lima / Includes bibliographical references. / José Gomáriz, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robinson Herrera, Outside Committee Member; Brenda Cappuccio, Committee Member; Roberto G. Fernández, Committee Member.

The dissertation is a study of the socio-cultural impact of the automobile in Spanish Literature: repression, economic progress, sexual liberation, fragmented identity, and abandonment. These socio-cultural issues are in the found in the following representative works: Réquiem por un campesino español (1953) by Ramón J. Sender, Cinco horas con Mario (1966) and Los santos inocentes (1981) both by Miguel Delibes, Rosa Montero´s Crónica del desamor (1979), Volverás a Región (1966) by Juan Benet, and Señas de identidad (1966) by Juan Goytisolo. In order to focus these issues a kaleidoscope of methods is employed: providing a historical context of the Franco regime and its repressive tactics; discussing and defining power and authority in conjunction with the automobile; showing the consequences of fragmented identity and abandonment asserted by the automobile. The dissertation also shows how the automobile is a micro-structure of both national and individual economic progress through the symbolism of the Seat 600. Given the automobile its due as a form of repression and symbol of the economic miracle of the 1960s, the dissertation also sheds light on the impact of the automobile as a tool for facilitating sexual relations and freedom in Spain in the mid 1970s. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Modern Languages in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2005. / October 24, 2003. / Sex, Fragmented Identity, Economic Progress, Franquismo, Spain, Cars, Repression / Includes bibliographical references. / Brenda Cappuccio, Professor Directing Dissertation; Virgil Suárez, Outside Committee Member; Delia Poey, Committee Member; William Cloonan, Committee Member; Ernest Rehder, Committee Member.

Few figures in the history of the Americas are surrounded with more colorful lore and acclamation than the Cuban politician, teacher, patriot, and poet Jose Marti. Among Marti's literary contributions, his Ismaelillo, a collection of fifteen poems published in 1882, claims prominence as both Marti's first book of poems and as a seminal Latin American text. Celebrated for its sincere communication of paternal love and lauded as the genesis of Hispanic literary modernism, Ismaelillo captures the longing of an exiled father separated from his son and homeland. Its language is at once evocative of classical Spanish literature and innovative, incorporating allusions to Golden Age drama while introducing neologisms and oneiric imagery that were daring for Marti's time. Despite the significance of Ismaelillo in Latin American literature, no complete English translation of the work has yet been published. The foremost aim of this thesis project, then, is to fill this lack. The English translation seeks to reflect Marti's meaning, rhythm, and additional phonological effects such as alliteration, rhyme, and anaphora. It balances primary concerns of fidelity to the original text with concerns of accessibility and satisfaction for a contemporary English audience. To reveal further the meaning of Marti's Ismaelillo, annotations and a critical introduction explore the text's historical and literary contexts.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Factors that affect Spanish students motivation in IUPUI

At the dawn of the 20th century, there was a burgeoning social awakening of playwrights in the Spanish-speaking world who make creative use of the platform of the stage to denounce injustice and disparity. In Puerto Rico and Spain, playwrights' denunciation through theatrical performance shed light on the realities that affected society, the consequences of war, and the deleterious effects of the economic crisis. In the context of the home front, moral disintegration and challenged values experienced by a family's patriarchal figure were compromised by hunger and misery. This moral disintegration also created social impotence whereby the patriarchs struggled to protect their home and struggled in their role as providers, parents, and heads of household. As weakened characters, they became passive and stagnant, crippled by denial and delusion. This thesis analyzes two theatrical works, one from Puerto Rico and the other from Spain, respectively, Tiempo Muerto (1940) by Manuel Méndez Ballester and El tragaluz (1967) by Antonio Buero Vallejo. The analysis of these two plays examines, through the lens of masculinity studies, the male characters who exemplify the patriarchs and their connections to family and society. Further, it uncovers the socio-economic and cultural effects that triggered a moral disintegration and that turned their role as protector into a passive one, thereby jeopardizing their masculinity.

This work exposes the narrative silence as the main enunciator of the textual discourse in Juan Rulfo's novel, Pedro Paramo. Through a sociological reading, the literary silences comprised in the events are interpreted to access one of the multiple possible meanings of the story. The study inserts ideas, historical facts and human, social, psychological and material factors in the openings left by the author, thus producing a discourse that shapes the manifesto of contemporary life.

Social, political, and economic transformations contributed to redefine gender roles at the beginning of the twentieth century. In Latin America, Alfonsina Storni (1889-1938), Gabriela Mistral (1892-1957) and Silvina Ocampo (1906-1993) produced a hybrid narrative that challenged heteronormative conventions. In dialogue with a global realignment, they advocated for the rights of mestiza, indigenous, and working class subjects. This thesis proposes that the authors participated in a worldwide transformation that established women as historical agents. The research incorporates poems, essays, and short stories to map the emergence of independent, clever, and ambiguous models of femininity. They deployed traditional archetypes, such as the Virgin Mary, and modern subjectivities to contest the social norms that underpin patriarchy. Storni, Mistral, and Ocampo transgressed and redefined social hierarchies inherited from intellectual elites representing underprivileged populations. We observe a crosspollination of journalism and literature that includes corporeal and mystical elements. These authors actively fought for gender equality and became influential cultural producers. Mistral, for instance, was the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Their achievements inspire and encourage contemporary Latino women to challenge social norms and become cultural producers.

The epistolary, as a literary genre, obtains greater value when it surpasses personal limits to reach a collective dimension. Further, if this epistolary belongs to a personality of historical and literary projection, its transcendence is even greater, as it transmits ideas and principles that mark an epoch and a social, political and cultural community. When the message it transmits spreads and reaches many, influencing the consciousness of those who receive it, its impact is undeniable. Referring to Felix Varela Morales (1788-1853), Jose de la Luz y Caballero said "As long as we think about the land of Cuba, we will think about who taught us first to think," words that allow us to understand this person's importance and relevance. Varela Morales was a priest, philosopher, educator, journalist, and a Cuban writer; he was a promoter of the island's independence and of its national identity. His epistolary is a valuable and significant testimony from which it is possible to know and validate a long and prolific trajectory that goes through several years of the intellectual and political history of Cuba. This thesis will present, supported by the theories of Homi Bhabha about identity and the communicative action of Jorgen Habermas, how the correspondence and the literary works of Felix Varela reflect the seeds of the formation of a Cuban identity as a basis of true independence from Spanish colonialism without, paradoxically, rejecting its colonial heritage.

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