The end in 1975 of the Francoist regime in Spain opened the door to new forms of self-expression, many of them suppressed during the 40 years of dictatorship. This change is especially significant around the traditionally peripheral Comunidades Autónomas that are bilingual, bicultural, and are experiencing a revival of their nationalistic feelings. This study focuses on the work of three Catalan authors who choose Spanish as their literary vehicle of self-expression. Juan Marsé's El amante bilingüe (1990), Eduardo Mendoza's La ciudad de los prodigios (1986), and Maruja Torres' Mientras vivimos (2000) are the works analyzed. These novels take place in Barcelona as it embodies the values of Catalan society, and exhibits many of the tendencies and social problems of the modern urban centers. Border Studies are the theoretical approach. Therefore, I consider here the emergence of a border literature (and identity) in the contact zone between Catalonia and the rest of Spain. Chapter II focuses on linguistic issues. The use of Catalan as the only means to express catalanidad is questioned here, while other textual strategies employed to reflect the linguistically diverse society are studied. Chapter III looks at the cultural aspects of the novels. Marsé, Mendoza and Torres criticize institutions, traditions, and cultural symbols on both sides of the "dividing" line, aiming to defy the concept of cultural purity and to show that transculturation has been in place for centuries. Globalization and immigration patterns also break the Catalan-Spanish binary opposition, thus becoming key elements of a fast changing cultural identity. Chapter IV analyzes Barcelona as an urban space where social relations take place. The work of social theorists Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja is applied to the analysis, especially the concepts of "monumental space" and "thirdspace." In Chapter V, Francisco Franco serves as a border which conditions sexual behavior. The chapter focuses on three aspects: women's identity in connection with their own spaces; transvestites as border subjects and symbols of a Spanish national identity; and possible solutions to the border problem based on the theories of national allegory and sexual politics. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Modern Languages in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / April 19, 2006. / Eduardo Mendoza, Maruja Torres, El Amante Bilingüe, La Ciudad De Los Prodigios, Mientras Vivimos, Juan Marsé, Post-Franco Novel, Novela Post-Franco, Boder, Border Studies, Frontera, Narrativa Española / Includes bibliographical references. / Brenda Cappuccio, Professor Directing Dissertation; Karen Laughlin, Outside Committee Member; Delia Poey, Committee Member; José Gomariz, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_180274 |
| Contributors | Pérez-Manrique, Ana (authoraut), Cappuccio, Brenda (professor directing dissertation), Laughlin, Karen (outside committee member), Poey, Delia (committee member), Gomariz, José (committee member), Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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