The Implied Reader in the Hispanic Children's Literature of the "Encuento" Series

University of Kentucky UKnowledge

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School

2005

THE IMPLIED READER IN THE HISPANIC CHILDREN'S LITERATURE OF THE "ENCUENTO" SERIES

Genny D. Ballard University of Kentucky

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Recommended Citation Ballard, Genny D., "THE IMPLIED READER IN THE HISPANIC CHILDREN'S LITERATURE OF THE "ENCUENTO" SERIES" (2005). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 376. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/376

This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

Genny D. Ballard

University of Kentucky

The Graduate School

2005 THE IMPLIED READER IN THE HISPANIC CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

OF THE "ENCUENTO" SERIES

ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Studies at the

University of Kentucky by Genny D. Ballard Lexington, KY

Director: Enrico Mario Santí, William T. Bryan Endowed Professor of

Hispanic Studies

THE IMPLIED READER IN THE HISPANIC CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

OF THE "ENCUENTO" SERIES

This dissertation discusses the implied reader in the “EnCuento” series illustrated children’s stories. All the stories are written by well-known Hispanic authors. This work elucidates historical, cultural, and semiotic gaps in the reading process. It explores the ways in which textual elements- such as style, focalization, and manipulation of reader’s expectations - affect the implied reader’s ability to produce or extract meaning. Our study will add to knowledge of the function of the implied reader in children’s texts. This study is divided into four chapters, each focusing on the implied reader. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the series discussing three books that are easy to understand, with simple vocabulary, chronological plots, and strong protagonists. Chapter 2 explores irony in two horror stories; Chapter 3 discusses books that promote a particular ideology. Finally, Chapter 4 explores books with protagonists who are outsiders. The books within each chapter have enough in common in terms of decodability that they seem to pursue the same kind of implied reader. Each chapter illustrates the way that style, point of view, manipulation of reader’s expectations, and telltale gaps affect the implied reader’s ability to make meaning. Within the series, each contributing author creates a system through which the reader can participate in the story. The authors’ intent is to communicate meaning to the implied reader. In sum, interpreting texts is communication between author and reader. In all of the “EnCuento” texts, authors employ response-inviting structures, making them interpretable on many levels.

This study further analyzes “EnCuento” stories the better to decide if their primary purpose is didactic. Because of the political content of texts written for adults- as in the case of the stories written by Benedetti, Paz, and Valenzuela - I expected them to communicate a clear political message to their child readers. The thesis also inquires into whether books are, in fact written for children and children exclusively. Because the “EnCuento” authors are accomplished writers of adult literature, this study analyzes the degree to which the authors communicate specifically with a child audience. Finally, the dissertation analyzes the illustrations in several of the texts and finds that book illustrations are essential to making connections with the reader. It also explores cultural references to decid