"The Fantastic And Magical Realism In The Contemporary Mexican Short Story As A Reflection Of ""lo Mexicano"""

The unifying thread of this dissertation is the relationship between the Mexican's search for a national psychic identity and his search for an authentic voice with which to express that identity in the contemporary short story. The first part of the study, titled "Background and Theory," is divided into three chapters. In Chapter One, an overview of some of the historical and political events which have contributed to the shaping of Mexican society is presented, in order to show the sociological impact they have had on the formation of the Mexican's self-image. A brief outline of the history and development of the short story in Mexico is also included, so that the relationship between the search for literary and psychic identity can be discerned. Chapter Two is an examination of the development, treatment, and application of the terms, Fantastic and Magical Realism, to works of prose fiction in Latin America. An effort is also made to contrast and compare the two concepts and to show how these two narrative modes have been used by Mexican writers to explore national reality. The contribution of myth to these forms of expression is brought to light in Chapter Three, where the role of myth in the formation of an authentic self-image in Mexico is studied. Myth is seen as a powerful force in the reshaping of the Mexican's interpretation of the past and the way he sees himself in the present, and the so-called "cult of death" is examined as an example of myth at work in the everyday world of the Mexican.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Spanish

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Duncan, Cynthia K.

• Literature, Latin American

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8324539

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/70967