By John A. Ochoa
Whereas the concept that of defeat within the Mexican literary canon is usually said, it has not often been explored within the fullness of the mental and spiritual contexts that outline this element of "mexicanidad." Going past the easy narrative of self-defeat, "The makes use of of Failure in Mexican Literature and id" offers a version of failure as a resource of data and renewed self-awareness. learning the connection among nationwide identification and failure, John Ochoa revisits the foundational texts of Mexican highbrow and literary historical past, the "national monuments," and gives a brand new imaginative and prescient of the pivotal occasions that echo all through Mexican aesthetics and politics. The makes use of of Failure in Mexican Literature and identification encompasses 5 centuries of idea, together with the works of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, whose sixteenth-century "True historical past of the Conquest of recent Spain" shaped Spanish-speaking Mexico's early self-perceptions; Jose; Vasconcelos, the essayist and flesh presser who helped rebuild the country after the Revolution of 1910; and the modern novelist Carlos Fuentes. a desirable research of a nation's risky trip in the direction of a feeling of self, "The makes use of of Failure" elegantly weaves moral matters, the philosophical implications of language, and a sociocritical exam of Latin American writing for a gleaming addition to the discussion on worldwide literature.
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Example text
Juan Velázquez de León: another very powerful grey mare which we called ‘‘La Rabona,’’ very hardy and a good charger . . Juan de Escalante: a light chestnut horse with three white stockings, not much good. (1:86–87) Like the catalogue of ships and men in Book 2 of the Iliad, this is a functional mnemonic aid; its steady rhythm and repetitive form, like a soldier’s cadence, are meant to jog the memory, to aid in the oral delivery. This bare-bones functionality is further heightened by the brutal honesty, the lackluster quality of what is being recalled: horses that were ‘‘no .
As when he gives the flayed soldier’s skin a face, Bernal gives Gómara’s monophonic narrative an individual face and, in doing so, finds his personal voice and begins his individual brand of literature. It would appear that Bernal has quietly overcome his discomfort with literary devices like irony and with literature in general. 13 Renaissance humanists defined their notion of individuality by entering, on equal footing, into dialogue with classical texts. In effect, the author was authorized through reading.
Una como patena de oro delgada, y con algunas piedras engastadas. Un casquete de oro, con cuernos y cabellera negra. Veintidós arracadas de oro, más chicas. (1:51–52) [In brief, what he acquired was the following: 1 small hollow idol 1 same, with horns and hair, and a chain about its neck, a flytrap in its hand, and a small jewel in its navel 1 piece like a gold medallion, with several stones set in it 1 helmet, gold, with two horns and black hair. ] (14–18) The list goes on for pages. Gómara’s list of the miserable yield is a witty way to diminish Cortés’s rival.